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SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids
 
Solar wind
speed: 493.0 km/sec
density: 5.0 protons/cm3
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2346 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: B1
2143 UT Jan12
24-hr: B1
2143 UT Jan12
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at: 2300 UT
Daily Sun: 12 Jan 11
Sunspots 1140 and 1146 are mostly quiet. Solar activity remains low. Credit: SDO/HMI
Sunspot number: 26
What is the sunspot number?
Updated 11 Jan 2011

Spotless Days
Current Stretch: 0 days
2011 total: 0 days (0%)
2010 total: 51 days (14%)
2009 total: 260 days (71%)
Since 2004: 819 days
Typical Solar Min: 486 days

Updated 11 Jan 2011


The Radio Sun
10.7 cm flux: 83 sfu
explanation | more data
Updated 11 Jan 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: 0.9 nT south
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2346 UT
Coronal Holes: 12 Jan 10
A solar wind stream flowing from the indicated coronal hole should reach Earth on or about Jan. 14th. Credit: SDO/AIA.
SPACE WEATHER
NOAA Forecasts
Updated at: 2011 Jan 12 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 Jan 12 2200 UTC
Mid-latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
05 %
20 %
MINOR
01 %
10 %
SEVERE
01 %
01 %
High latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
10 %
30 %
MINOR
01 %
15 %
SEVERE
01 %
01 %
 
Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011
What's up in space
 

Metallic photos of the sun by renowned photographer Greg Piepol bring together the best of art and science. Buy one or a whole set. They make a stellar gift.

 
Metallic pictures of the Sun

THUNDERSTORMS MAKE ANTIMATTER: A NASA spacecraft designed to measure high-energy events in the deep cosmos has found them instead right here on Earth. Ordinary thunderstorms, it turns out, produce potent bursts of antimatter hundreds of times a day. Get the full story from Science@NASA.

AURORA WATCH: "Last night we were a bit doubtful that our Northern Lights tour would actually end up with any Northern Lights," reports Klas Tigerström of Abisko, Sweden. "But then the sky cleared and we got what we came for."

"The really cool stuff only appeared for about 2 minutes, but it felt like a life time!!" he says.

The next display should last longer. A solar wind stream is heading for Earth, due to arrive on Jan. 14-15. NOAA forecasters estimate a 30% chance of geomagnetic activity in response to the impact of the stream. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for weekend auroras.

January 2011 Aurora Photo Gallery
[previous Januaries: 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2005, 2004]

MORNING STAR: "There's only so much you can see from a hazy and light-polluted urban sky. And then there's Venus!" says photographer Ramiz Qureshi. "Here is the view from a congested street in Karachi, Pakistan, on the morning of Jan. 9th."

"Venus was out-shining everything in the sky," he says. "City lights were no match for the morning star."

Indeed, this is a good week to look for Venus, which is at greatest elongation (distance from the sun). The silvery planet rises two hours before the sun and hangs high in the eastern sky at dawn. As Qureshi's photo shows, dark skies are not required for a dazzling view. Set your alarm and take a look; it's a great way to start the day.


Solar Eclipse Photo Gallery
[NASA: Hinode Observes Annular Solar Eclipse]

  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 January 12, 2011 there were 1179 potentially hazardous asteroids.
Recent & Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:
Asteroid
Date(UT)
Miss Distance
Mag.
Size
2010 YD
Jan 2
6.7 LD
26.6
21 m
2011 AE3
Jan 3
1.6 LD
27.5
14 m
2011 AF3
Jan 6
4.8 LD
25.1
41 m
2008 EA32
Jan 7
76.5 LD
16.5
2.1 km
2011 AN4
Jan 9
5.1 LD
26.4
23 m
2011 AN1
Jan 10
5.5 LD
27.7
12 m
2009 BS5
Jan 11
3.4 LD
27.4
14 m
2011 AH5
Jan 13
3.4 LD
26
28 m
2003 YG118
Feb 20
67.7 LD
17
1.8 km
2000 PN9
Mar 10
45.5 LD
16.1
2.6 km
2002 DB4
Apr 15
62.5 LD
16.4
2.2 km
2008 UC202
Apr 27
8.9 LD
28.2
10 m
2009 UK20
May 2
8.6 LD
26.4
23 m
2008 FU6
May 5
75.5 LD
17.9
1.2 km
2003 YT1
May 5
65.3 LD
16.1
2.5 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
Science Central
   
  more links...
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