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SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids
 
Solar wind
speed: 322.1 km/sec
density: 0.8 protons/cm3
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2345 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: C4
2228 UT Nov19
24-hr: C4
2228 UT Nov19
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at: 2300 UT
Daily Sun: 19 Nov 11
None of these sunspots poses a threat for strong flares. Credit: SDO/HMI
Sunspot number: 137
What is the sunspot number?
Updated 18 Nov 2011

Spotless Days
Current Stretch: 0 days
2011 total: 2 days (<1%)
2010 total: 51 days (14%)
2009 total: 260 days (71%)
Since 2004: 821 days
Typical Solar Min: 486 days

Updated 18 Nov 2011


The Radio Sun
10.7 cm flux: 144 sfu
explanation | more data
Updated 18 Nov 2011

Current Auroral Oval:
Switch to: Europe, USA, New Zealand, Antarctica
Credit: NOAA/POES
Planetary K-index
Now: Kp= 0 quiet
24-hr max: Kp= 1
quiet
explanation | more data
Interplanetary Mag. Field
Btotal: 3.8 nT
Bz: 3.7 nT north
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2345 UT
Coronal Holes: 19 Nov 11
There are no large coronal holes on the Earthside of the sun. Credit: SDO/AIA.
SPACE WEATHER
NOAA Forecasts
Updated at: 2011 Nov 19 2200 UTC
FLARE
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
CLASS M
20 %
20 %
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 Nov 19 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
10 %
10 %
MINOR
01 %
01 %
SEVERE
01 %
01 %
 
Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011
What's up in space
 

Turn your cell phone into a field-tested satellite tracker. Works for Android and iPhone.

 
Satellite flybys

LEONID METEOR UPDATE: According to the International Meteor Organization, this year's Leonid meteor shower peaked on Nov. 18th with a maximum rate of ~18 meteors per hour. That's not many (especially compared to the Leonid storms of a decade ago), but sometimes just one Leonid can be enough. In Chelmsford, UK, astronomer Nick James caught this fireball lighting up the sky almost as brightly as the Moon:

Across the Atlantic in New Jersey, photographer Jeff Berke enjoyed a similar Leonid moment: "I saw a Leonid Fireball around 4:20am that lit up the sky creating shadows and a smoke trail which lasted close to 45 seconds. It was an incredible night!"

The shower is subsiding as Earth exits the debris stream of parent Comet Tempel-Tuttle. Tune into SpaceWeather Radio for farewell echoes.

more Leonids: from Peter Meadows of Chelmsford, Essex, UK; from Christopher Handler of Largs Bay, Adelaide, South Australia; from Jett Aguilar of Quezon City, Philippine; from Dr Salvador Aguirre of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico; from Sylvain Weiller of Saitn Remy lès Chevreuse, France

GREAT FILAMENT: It's one of the biggest things in the entire solar system. A dark filament of magnetism measuring more than 700,000 km from end to end is sprawled diagonally across the face of the sun. Amateur astronomer Theo Ramakers photographed the structure yesterday from Social Circle, Georgia:

"What a beautiful view," says Ramakers. "Wow--would I like to image this if/when it collapses! Can’t wait to see what tomorrow will bring."

Indeed, the future could bring some action. Filaments like these have a habit of collapsing, and when they fall to the stellar surface the impact can trigger a Hyder flare. Readers with solar telescopes are encouraged to monitor developments.

more images: from John Stetson of Falmouth, Maine; from Craig & Tammy Temple of Hendersonville, Tennessee; from Coute of Chateaugay, France

  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 November 19, 2011 there were 1256 potentially hazardous asteroids.
Recent & Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:
Asteroid
Date(UT)
Miss Distance
Mag.
Size
2011 FZ2
Nov 7
75.9 LD
--
1.6 km
2005 YU55
Nov 8
0.8 LD
11.2
400 m
2011 UT91
Nov 15
9.9 LD
--
109 m
1994 CK1
Nov 16
68.8 LD
--
1.5 km
1996 FG3
Nov 23
39.5 LD
--
1.1 km
2003 WM7
Dec 9
47.6 LD
--
1.6 km
1999 XP35
Dec 20
77.5 LD
--
1.0 km
2000 YA
Dec 26
2.9 LD
--
80 m
2011 SL102
Dec 28
75.9 LD
--
1.1 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
Trade Show Displays
   
  more links...
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