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Solar wind
speed: 421.5 km/sec
density: 18.7 protons/cm3
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2351 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: B3
1717 UT Feb23
24-hr: C1
0028 UT Feb23
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at: 2300 UT
Daily Sun: 23 Feb 15
None of these sunspots poses a threat for strong flares. Solar activity is low. Credit: SDO/HMI

Sunspot number: 49
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= 3 quiet
24-hr max: Kp= 4
unsettled
explanation | more data
Interplanetary Mag. Field
Btotal: 11.8 nT
Bz: 11.2 nT north
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2351 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: 02-23-2015 17:55:02
SPACE WEATHER
NOAA Forecasts
Updated at: 2015 Feb 23 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 23 2200 UTC
Mid-latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
15 %
15 %
MINOR
01 %
01 %
SEVERE
01 %
01 %
High latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
15 %
15 %
MINOR
25 %
25 %
SEVERE
20 %
20 %
 
Monday, Feb. 23, 2015
What's up in space
 

Come to Tromsø and share Marianne's passion for rural photography: Chasethelighttours.co.uk invites you to experience "Heaven on Earth" with an aurora, fjord, fishing, whale watching, photography or sightseeing tour.

 
Chase the Light Tours

QUIET SUN: Solar activity is very low. No sunspots are actively flaring, and the sun's X-ray output is flatlining again. NOAA forecasters estimate a 1% chance of M-class flares on Feb. 23rd. Solar flare alerts: text, voice

SOLAR WIND SPARKS AURORAS: Earth is entering a stream of solar wind flowing from a coronal hole on the sun. The gentle buffetng has not yet caused a full-fledged geomagnetic storm; nevertheless, the Arctic Circle is aglow ith auroras. Last night the lights descended as far south as Montana:

"The Northern Lights made two surprise appearances last night in the Flathead Valley of Montana," says photographer Philip Granrud. "Considering how low the K index seemed to be, I'm quite surprised Montana had as big a show as we did. The colors were amazing!"

More auroras could be in the offing. NOAA forecasters estimate a 35% chance of geomagnetic storms on Feb. 23rd as the solar wind continues to blow. Aurora alerts: text, voice

Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery

SUNSET SKY SHOW CONTINUES: Have you caught the sunset conjunction of Venus and Mars? Jean-Baptiste Feldmann did, last night in Fussey, France:

"I took this picture using a Nikon D3200 camera set at ISO 800 for a 5 sec exposure," says Feldmann.

Photographers should take note of those settings, because the conjunction is still underway tonight. At closest approach on Feb. 21st, the two planets were only 0.4o apart. They are separating now, but still only 1o apart--a lovely pair. Look for them in the western sky at sunset. Brilliant Venus pops into view first, followed by Mars as the twilight fades to black. It's a beautiful way to end the day.

Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery

AIRBUS OVERHEAD: Astrophotographer Ralf Vandebergh of the Netherlands is known for his fabulous photos of the International Space Station. He points his telescope at the fast-moving spacecraft and, moving the tube by hand, keeps the ISS centered in the field of view long enough for a glittering snapshot. Last night, Vandebergh noticed a different light in the sky--not the ISS--and turned his telescope on it instead. This is what he saw:

"It was an Airbus A380 flying at 38000 feet at cruise altitude from Dubai to Manchester," says Vandebergh. "I captured this picture using my 25cm Newtonian just as the plane was passing almost exactly overhead at a speed of 460 knots."

Apparently, airplanes can be as fine a target for astrophotogaphy as spacecraft. Unfortnately, we cannot predict flybys of the Airbus. We can, however, forecast the International Space Staton. Click here for local flyby predictions.

Realtime Flyby Photo Gallery


Realtime Comet 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. 23, 2015, the network reported 2 fireballs.
(2 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 23, 2015 there were potentially hazardous asteroids.
Recent & Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:
Asteroid
Date(UT)
Miss Distance
Size
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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