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SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids
 
Solar wind
speed: 418.1 km/sec
density: 1.2 protons/cm3
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2317 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: C2
1830 UT May18
24-hr: C2
1830 UT May18
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at: 2300 UT
Daily Sun: 18 May 11
None of these sunspotts poses a threat for strong flares. Credit: SDO/HMI
Sunspot number: 57
What is the sunspot number?
Updated 17 May 2011

Spotless Days
Current Stretch: 0 days
2011 total: 1 day (<1%)
2010 total: 51 days (14%)
2009 total: 260 days (71%)
Since 2004: 820 days
Typical Solar Min: 486 days

Updated 17 May 2011


The Radio Sun
10.7 cm flux: 92 sfu
explanation | more data
Updated 17 May 2011

Current Auroral Oval:
Switch to: Europe, USA, New Zealand, Antarctica
Credit: NOAA/POES
Planetary K-index
Now: Kp= 1 quiet
24-hr max: Kp= 2
quiet
explanation | more data
Interplanetary Mag. Field
Btotal: 4.2 nT
Bz: 0.2 nT south
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2319 UT
Coronal Holes: 18 May 11
There are no large coronal holes on the Earthside of the sun. Credit: SDO/AIA.
SPACE WEATHER
NOAA Forecasts
Updated at: 2011 May 18 2200 UTC
FLARE
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
CLASS M
01 %
01 %
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: 2011 May 18 2200 UTC
Mid-latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
05 %
05 %
MINOR
01 %
01 %
SEVERE
01 %
01 %
High latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
05 %
05 %
MINOR
01 %
01 %
SEVERE
01 %
01 %
 
Wednesday, May. 18, 2011
What's up in space
 

They came from outer space--and you can have one! Genuine meteorites are now on sale in the Space Weather Store.

 
Own your own meteorite

AURORA WATCH: A magnetic filament exploded away from the sun on May 17th and propelled a cloud of plasma into space. The cloud (a CME) was not aimed directly at Earth, but it could deliver a glancing blow to our planet's magnetic field during the late hours of May 19th. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras.

ISS-ENDEAVOUR: Space shuttle Endeavour and its crew arrived at the International Space Station this morning, May 18th, at 6:14 a.m. EDT. The two spacecraft are now docked together and may be seen flying through the night sky as a single bright point of light.

Shortly before docking, the converging spacecraft flew over Brisbane, Australia, where Stephen Mudge photographed their double streak:

"I've always wanted to see a double pass of the shuttle and ISS, and it took until the second-to-last shuttle flight," says Mudge. "But wow, it was worth the wait!!! The two spacecraft were separated by only about 1 degree, with the shuttle shining at magnitude -0.5 and the ISS at -2.9. An absolutely amazing sight."

more images: from Kosma Coronaios of Louis Trichardt, Limpopo Province, South Afria

SPACESHIPS IN THE SUN: The night sky isn't the only place to see Endeavour and the ISS. Today in Romania, the docked spaceships passed directly in front of the midday sun:

Maximilian Teodorescu recorded the split-second transit from Bucharest, Romania: "I used an 80 mm refracting telescope capped by a Baader ND 5 solar filter, and caught the silhouette of ISS-Endeavour in two video frames--lucky shots I would say!"

Ready for your own lucky shot? Check Calsky.org for transit predictions, and don't forget to use a safe solar filter when checking for spaceships in the sun.

more images: from Alex Conu of Berceni, Romani


April 2011 Aurora Gallery
[previous Aprils: 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002]

  Near Earth Asteroids
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 is on a collision course with our planet, although astronomers are finding new ones all the time.
On May 18, 2011 there were 1224 potentially hazardous asteroids.
Recent & Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:
Asteroid
Date(UT)
Miss Distance
Mag.
Size
2011 HC24
May 12
5.9 LD
--
58 m
2002 JC
Jun 1
57.5 LD
--
1.6 km
2009 BD
Jun 2
0.9 LD
--
10 m
2002 JB9
Jun 11
71.5 LD
--
3.2 km
2001 VH75
Jun 12
42.2 LD
--
1.1 km
2004 LO2
Jun 15
9.9 LD
--
48 m
2011 GA55
Jul 6
64.1 LD
--
1.0 km
2011 EZ78
Jul 10
37.3 LD
--
1.5 km
2003 YS117
Jul 14
73.9 LD
--
1.0 km
2007 DD
Jul 23
9.3 LD
--
31 m
2009 AV
Aug 22
49.7 LD
--
1.1 km
2003 QC10
Sep 18
50 LD
--
1.2 km
2004 SV55
Sep 19
67.5 LD
--
1.2 km
Notes: LD means "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.
  Essential web links
NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center
  The official U.S. government space weather bureau
Atmospheric Optics
  The first place to look for information about sundogs, pillars, rainbows and related phenomena.
Solar Dynamics Observatory
  Researchers call it a "Hubble for the sun." SDO is the most advanced solar observatory ever.
STEREO
  3D views of the sun from NASA's Solar and Terrestrial Relations Observatory
Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
  Realtime and archival images of the Sun from SOHO.
Daily Sunspot Summaries
  from the NOAA Space Environment Center
Heliophysics
  the underlying science of space weather
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