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Solar wind
speed: 403.1 km/sec
density: 4.1 protons/cm3
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2349 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: C6
1807 UT Dec26
24-hr: C6
1807 UT Dec26
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at: 2300 UT
Daily Sun: 26 Dec 14
Not one of these sunspots has the kind of unstable magnetic field that poses a threat for strong flares. Solar activity is low. Credit: SDO/HMI
Sunspot number: 100
What is the sunspot number?
Updated 26 Dec 2014

Spotless Days
Current Stretch: 0 days
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 26 Dec
2014

The Radio Sun
10.7 cm flux: 145 sfu
explanation | more data
Updated 26 Dec 2014

Current Auroral Oval:
Switch to: Europe, USA, New Zealand, Antarctica
Credit: NOAA/Ovation
Planetary K-index
Now: Kp= 4 unsettled
24-hr max: Kp= 4
unsettled
explanation | more data
Interplanetary Mag. Field
Btotal: 6.7 nT
Bz: 0.3 nT south
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2349 UT
Coronal Holes: 26 Dec 14
There are no large coronal holes on the Earthside of he 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: 12-26-2014 10:55:04
SPACE WEATHER
NOAA Forecasts
Updated at: 2014 Dec 26 2200 UTC
FLARE
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
CLASS M
25 %
25 %
CLASS X
05 %
05 %
Geomagnetic Storms:
Probabilities for significant disturbances in Earth's magnetic field are given for three activity levels: active, minor storm, severe storm
Updated at: 2014 Dec 26 2200 UTC
Mid-latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
15 %
20 %
MINOR
05 %
05 %
SEVERE
01 %
01 %
High latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
20 %
20 %
MINOR
25 %
30 %
SEVERE
20 %
30 %
 
Friday, Dec. 26, 2014
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

QUIET SUN: With no sunspots actively flaring, the sun is quiet and solar activity is low. NOAA forecasters estimate a slight 5% chance of X-flares during the next 24 hours. Solar flare alerts: text, voice

SUDDEN DIP IN COSMIC RAYS: Every day, Earth is bombarded by galactic cosmic rays--subatomic particles accelerated to high energies by distant supernovas, stellar flares, and other explosions. On Dec. 21st, ground-based neutron monitors detected a sudden decrease in this cosmic radiation. The following plot from the Oulu Cosmic Ray Station in Finland shows the change:

What happened? Over a 48-hour period beginning on Dec. 21st, a series of three CMEs swept past Earth, delivering glancing blows to our planet's magnetosphere. These CMEs swept aside many of the cosmic rays that would normally bombard our planet. The dip in cosmic rays is called a "Forbush Decrease," named after physicist Scott E. Forbush who first described it in the 20th century.

The ongoing Forbush Decrease is producing some of the lowest radiation levels of the current solar cycle. This is good news for airline passengers, pilots, flight attendants and astronauts, all of whom absorb cosmic rays during their travels.

To investigate how the Forbush Decrease is propagating through the atmosphere, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus gathered on Christmas Eve to launch a Space Weather Buoy:

The Buoy (inset) carried a pair of X-ray/gamma-ray sensors, a cryogenic thermometer, two GPS altimeters, a GPS tracker and three video cameras to record the trip. If everything worked as planned, the Buoy will have recorded a complete profile of ionizing radiation from ground level to 110,000 feet.  The students will be able to compare the current radiation profile with dozens of previous profiles measured since 2013.

According to GPS telemetry, the payload traveled to the stratosphere and parachuted back to Earth on Dec. 24th. A recovery team is hiking to the remote landing site today, Dec. 26th. Stay tuned for data and footage.

Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery

HOLIDAY LIGHTS: A stream of solar wind is bufeting Earths magnetic field, and this is causing geomagnetic unrest around the poles. Last night around the Arctic Circle, Christmas carolers and last minute gift-givers witnessed a beautiful display of holiday lights:

"Vi var ute og leverte julegaver, bare måtte stoppe litt... 5min ble 5timer....," says aurora tour guide Marianne Bergli, who photographed the display in Tromsø, Norway. "God jul alle sammen." Translated: "We were out delivering Christmas gifts and just had to stop a bit ... 5 minutes became 5 hours. Merry Christmas everyone!"

The show's not over. NOAA forecasters estimate a 35% chance of polar geomagnetic storms on Dec. 25th as the solar wind continues to blow. Browse the gallery for latest images from around the Arctic Circle. Aurora alerts: text, voice

Realtime Aurora 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 Dec. 26, 2014, the network reported 10 fireballs.
(7 sporadics, 3 December Leonis Minorids)

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 December 26, 2014 there were potentially hazardous asteroids.
Recent & Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:
Asteroid
Date(UT)
Miss Distance
Size
2014 YP9
Dec 21
6.5 LD
94 m
2014 YV9
Dec 29
4.9 LD
21 m
2007 EJ
Jan 12
68.9 LD
1.1 km
1991 VE
Jan 17
40.6 LD
1.0 km
2004 BL86
Jan 26
3.1 LD
650 m
2008 CQ
Jan 31
4.8 LD
36 m
2000 EE14
Feb 27
72.5 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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