SPACE WEATHER Current Conditions Solar Wind speed: 354.0 km/s density:1.7 protons/cm3 explanation | more data Updated: Today at 2245 UT X-ray Solar Flares 6-hr max: C1 2210 UT Oct10 24-hr: C1 1450 UT Oct10 explanation | more data Updated: Today at 2245 UT Daily Sun: 10 Oct '02 Sunspots 139 has a delta-class magnetic field that poses a threat for X-class solar flares. Image credit: SOHO/MDI The Far Side of the Sun This holographic image reveals a substantial spot on the far side of the Sun. Image credit: SOHO/MDI Sunspot Number: 226 What is the sunspot number? Updated: 09 Oct 2002 Coronal Holes: There are no substantial coronal holes on the Earth-facing side of the Sun. Image credit: SOHO Extreme UV Telescope. More about coronal holes Interplanetary Mag. Field Btotal: 7.1 nT Bz: 3.8 nT south explanation | more data Updated: Today at 2246 UT SPACE WEATHER NOAA Forecasts Solar Flares: Probabilities for a medium-sized (M-class) or a major (X-class) solar flare during the next 24/48 hours are tabulated below. Updated at 2002 Oct 10 2200 UTC FLARE | 0-24 hr | 24-48 hr | CLASS M | 40 % | 30 % | CLASS X | 01 % | 01 % | Geomagnetic Storms: Probabilities for significant disturbances in Earth's magnetic field are given for three activity levels: active, minor storm, severe storm Updated at 2002 Oct 10 2200 UTC Mid-latitudes | 0-24 hr | 24-48 hr | ACTIVE | 30 % | 15 % | MINOR | 10 % | 10 % | SEVERE | 01 % | 01 % | High latitudes | 0-24 hr | 24-48 hr | ACTIVE | 30 % | 25 % | MINOR | 15 % | 15 % | SEVERE | 01 % | 01 % | Web server provided by VPS Hosting | What's Up in Space -- 10 Oct 2002 Subscribe to Space Weather News! TWO SPACESHIPS: Yesterday, NASA's space shuttle Atlantis caught up with the International Space Station and docked with it. Amateur astronomer John Locker captured this image of the two spacecraft on Wednesday night when they soared over his garden in England. He used an 8-inch telecope and an inexpensive digital camera. Click here to learn how you can see the shuttle and the ISS over your own backyard. SUNSPOT WATCH: Sunspot 139 has a twisted magnetic field that harbors energy for powerful X-class solar flares. Any eruptions on Oct 10th or 11th would likely be Earth directed. AURORA OUTLOOK: After nine days of fitful storming, Earth's magnetic field today is relatively undisturbed. Widespread auroras are unlikely. Nevertheless, high-latitude sky watchers should remain alert for Northern Lights on Oct. 10th. The best time to look is during the hours around local midnight. Right: Photographer Trygve Lindersen saw this weird auroral ring over central Norway on Oct. 7th. [gallery] WEB LINKS: NOAA FORECAST | GLOSSARY | SPACE WEATHER TUTORIAL | LESSON PLANS | BECOME A SUBSCRIBER | Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) are space rocks larger than approximately 100m that can come closer to Earth than 0.05 AU. None of the known PHAs are on a collision course with our planet, although astronomers are finding new ones all the time. On 10 Oct 2002 there were 465 known Potentially Hazardous Asteroids Oct. 2002 Earth-asteroid encountersNotes: LD is a "Lunar Distance." 1 LD = 384,401 km, the distance between Earth and the Moon. 1 LD also equals 0.00256 AU. MAG is the visual magnitude of the asteroid on the date of closest approach. - SUMMER AURORAS: August was a good month for auroras. Visit our gallery and see what happened in the skies of Europe and North America.
- NEARBY ASTEROID: Asteroid 2002 NY40 came so close to Earth on August 18th that people could see it through binoculars or small telescopes. [gallery]
- PERSIEDS 2002: Sky watchers spotted plenty of bright shooting stars--including some colorful earthgrazers--during the 2002 Perseid meteor shower. [gallery]
- AURORA SURPRISE: An unexpected geomagnetic storm began on August 1st as night fell across North America. Sky watchers spotted vivid auroras over both the United States and Canada.
- CRESCENT SUN: The June 10th solar eclipse is long over, but new pictures of the event keep appearing. Visit our growing photo gallery and see for yourself. There are strange shadows, weird sunsets, eclipse dogs, crescent-eyed turkeys and extraordinary rings of fire. [more]
- COMET IKEYA-ZHANG: The brightest comet in years delighted sky watchers in March and April 2002. [gallery]
- GONE JUPITER: On Feb. 22, 2002, the Moon had a close encounter with Jupiter. [gallery]
- GONE SATURN: On Feb. 20, 2002, the Moon glided in front of Saturn and its mysterious rings. [gallery]
- HOT COMET: Periodic comet 96P/Machholz put on a dazzling show as it swung by the Sun on Jan. 8, 2002.
- ASTEROID FLYBY: Asteroid 2001 YB5 raced past Earth on Jan. 7, 2002, only two times farther away than the Moon. [gallery]
- SUBTLE ECLIPSE: The Moon dipped into the outskirts of Earth's shadow on Dec. 30, 2001. [gallery]
- MOON & SATURN: The Moon keeps getting in the way of Saturn! See the series of close encounters here.
- CHRISTMAS LIGHTS: On Christmas Eve, 2001, a solar wind stream triggered Northern Lights. [gallery]
- SOLAR ECLIPSE: Sky watchers in Hawaii and most parts of North America experienced a partial solar eclipse on Dec. 14th. [gallery]
- BRIGHT ASTEROID: Videos and images of 1998 WT24 -- a big and bright near-Earth asteroid that came close to our planet on Dec. 16, 2001. [gallery]
- NORTHERN LIGHTS: On Nov. 24th a pair of coronal mass ejections swept past Earth and triggered worldwide auroras.
- LEONIDS 2001: Some people saw it. Others heard it. In either case, they'll never forget it: The 2001 Leonid meteor storm.
- PERSEIDS 2001: Perseid watchers on August 12th spotted meteors, auroras, and a disintegrating Russian rocket! [gallery]
- MORNING PLANETS: In July and Aug. 2001, the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, and Mercury put on a dazzling early-morning sky show. [gallery]
- ECLIPSE SAFARI: Onlookers cried out in delight on June 21, 2001, when the Moon covered the African Sun, revealing the dazzling corona. [gallery]
- TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE: On Jan. 9, 2001, the full Moon glided through Earth's copper-colored shadow. [gallery]
- CHRISTMAS ECLIPSE: Sky watchers across North America enjoyed a partial solar eclipse on Christmas Day 2000 [gallery]
- LEONIDS 2000: Observers around the globe enjoyed three predicted episodes of shooting stars. [gallery]
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