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Solar wind
speed: 338.7 km/sec
density: 8.7 protons/cm3
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2350 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: B9
2021 UT Feb22
24-hr: B9
2021 UT Feb22
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at: 2300 UT
Daily Sun: 22 Feb 15
None of these sunspots poses a threat for strong flares. Solar activity is low. Credit: SDO/HMI

Sunspot number: 54
What is the sunspot number?
Updated 22 Feb 2015

Spotless Days
Current Stretch: 0 days
2015 total: 0 days (0%)

2014 total: 1 day (<1%)
2013 total: 0 days (0%)
2012 total: 0 days (0%)
2011 total: 2 days (<1%)
2010 total: 51 days (14%)
2009 total: 260 days (71%)

Update 22 Feb 2015


The Radio Sun
10.7 cm flux: 116 sfu
explanation | more data
Updated 22 Feb 2015

Current Auroral Oval:
Switch to: Europe, USA, New Zealand, Antarctica
Credit: NOAA/Ovation
Planetary K-index
Now: Kp= 1 quiet
24-hr max: Kp= 3
quiet
explanation | more data
Interplanetary Mag. Field
Btotal: 7.0 nT
Bz: 4.3 nT south
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2350 UT
Coronal Holes: 22 Feb 15
A There are no large coronal holes on the Earthside of the sun. Credit: SDO/AIA.
Noctilucent Clouds As of Nov. 22, 2014, the season for southern hemisphere noctilucent clouds is underway. The south polar "daisy" pictured below is a composite of near-realtime images from NASA's AIM spacecraft.
Switch view: Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctic Penninsula, East Antarctica, Polar
Updated at: 02-22-2015 18:55:03
SPACE WEATHER
NOAA Forecasts
Updated at: 2015 Feb 22 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: 2015 Feb 22 2200 UTC
Mid-latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
30 %
15 %
MINOR
05 %
01 %
SEVERE
01 %
01 %
High latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
15 %
15 %
MINOR
30 %
25 %
SEVERE
35 %
20 %
 
Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015
What's up in space
 

Learn to photograph Northern Lights like a pro. Sign up for Peter Rosen's Aurora Photo Courses in Abisko National Park.

 
Lapland tours

CHANCE OF MAGNETIC STORMS: NOAA forecasters estimate a 40% chance of geomagnetic storms on Feb. 22-23 in response to an incoming solar wind stream. Polar sky watchers should be alert for auroras. Aurora alerts: text, voice

ALMOST-BLANK SUN: Officially, there are four numbered sunspot groups on the sun. Good luck finding them. They are almost invisible in today's image of the sun taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory:

Most analysts believe that Solar Cycle 24 is just past maximum. That doesn't mean sunspots will instantly vanish, but more almost-blank suns--and truly blank suns--are in the offing as the solar cycle slowly descends toward lower activity in the months and years ahead.

As for today, not one of the tiny sunspot's peppering the solar disk pose a threat for strong solar flares. NOAA forecasters estmiate a slim 1% chance of M-flares on Feb. 22nd. Solar flare alerts: text, voice

Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery

SUNSET SKY SHOW CONTINUES: Yesterday, Feb. 21st, Venus and Mars converged in the sunset sky, forming a tight pair less than 0.4o apart. Abhinav Singhai photographed the planets from New Delhi, India:

"It was a beautiful conjunction of Moon, Mars and Venus setting over Dancing Mustard fields of Dehli," says Singhai.

Although closest approach was on Feb. 21st, the conjunction is not over. Brilliant Venus and red Mars are still less than 1o apart. Look for them in the western sky as soon as the sun goes down. Venus pops into view first, followed by Mars as the twilight fades to black.

Realtime Conjunction Photo Gallery

UNUSUAL COMET DIVE-BOMBS THE SUN: Astronomers are puzzling over a comet that passed "insanely close" to the sun on Feb. 19th. At first glance it appeared to be a small object, not much bigger than a comet-boulder, doomed to disintegrate in the fierce heat. Instead, it has emerged apparently intact and is actually brightening as it recedes from the sun. Click to view a post-flyby movie recorded on Feb. 20th by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO):

Unofficially, the icy visitor is being called "SOHO-2875," because it is SOHO's 2,875th comet discovery.

Karl Battams of the Naval Research Lab explains what's odd about SOHO-2875: "It's a 'non-group comet,' meaning that it does not appear to be related to any other comet or comet family that we have on record."

Most comets that SOHO sees belong to the Kreutz family. Kreutz sungrazers are fragments from the breakup of a single giant comet many centuries ago. They get their name from 19th century German astronomer Heinrich Kreutz, who studied them in detail. SOHO-2875, however, is not one of those fragments.

"Non-group comets like this appear a few times a year, so in that sense it's not too unusual," continues Battams. "But this one is relatively bright. The big question most people will have now is, Can I see it, or will I be able to see it, from Earth? At first I thought the answer was no. But I am very pleasantly surprised--shocked in fact! The comet has brightened dramatically and now is sporting an increasingly impressive tail. Visibility from Earth in a few weeks is no longer out of the question, although I still wouldn't put money on it."

"I'll continue to tweet updates on my twitter.com/SungrazerComets feed, so folks can follow along there too."

Realtime Comet Photo Gallery


Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery


  All Sky Fireball Network

Every night, a network of NASA all-sky cameras scans the skies above the United States for meteoritic fireballs. Automated software maintained by NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office calculates their orbits, velocity, penetration depth in Earth's atmosphere and many other characteristics. Daily results are presented here on Spaceweather.com.

On Feb. 22, 2015, the network reported 12 fireballs.
(12 sporadics)

In this diagram of the inner solar system, all of the fireball orbits intersect at a single point--Earth. The orbits are color-coded by velocity, from slow (red) to fast (blue). [Larger image] [movies]

  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 February 22, 2015 there were potentially hazardous asteroids.
Recent & Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:
Asteroid
Date(UT)
Miss Distance
Size
2015 CQ13
Feb 18
6.7 LD
31 m
2015 DB
Feb 18
1.3 LD
12 m
2015 DD54
Feb 21
7.2 LD
36 m
2015 DU
Feb 23
8 LD
20 m
2015 CA40
Feb 23
6.3 LD
53 m
2000 EE14
Feb 27
72.5 LD
1.6 km
2015 DS53
Mar 2
3.1 LD
72 m
2063 Bacchus
Apr 7
76 LD
1.6 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
Space Weather Alerts
   
  more links...
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