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SUBSIDING RADIATION STORM: An S1-class solar radiation storm that began on Dec. 28th is subsiding. The storm was sparked by a magnetic explosion near the sun's western limb, which accelerated solar protons toward Earth. Our planet is now exiting the swarm of energetic particles. Solar flare alerts: text, voice.
INCREASING CHANCE OF FLARES: Sunspots AR1934 and AR1936 have grown significantly in the past 24 hours, each more than doubling in area as dozens of new dark cores add themselves to the two active regions. Click on the image to review the developments:
Sunspot AR1934 has developed a 'beta-gamma-delta' magnetic field that harbors energy for powerful X-class solar flares. Sunspot AR1936 has a 'beta-gamma' magnetic field that harbors energy for lesser M-class flares. Nevertheless, AR1936 poses the greater threat to Earth because it is directly facing our planet. Indeed, an M3-class flare from this sunspot on Dec. 29th created a wave of ionization in the upper atmosphere over Asia, the Middle East and eastern Europe. More flares are in the offing, so stay tuned. Solar flare alerts: text, voice.
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
VENUS FLYBY: Now is a great time to look at the second planet from the sun. Like the Moon, Venus has phases, and at the moment it is a 6% crescent. Moreover, it is bright enough to see in broad daylight. Yesterday, Mark Wloch pointed his Celestron C8 telescope at the blue sky over Southgate, Michigan, and this is what he saw:
"I captured Venus during daylight with a jet passing by," says Wloch. "What a beautiful conjunction."
Yes, it is easy to see Venus in broad daylight, but it is even easier to see the planet at sunset when Venus pierces the darkening sky like a beacon 150 times brighter than a 1st-magnitude star. Indeed, some sky watchers think Venus is an airplane. A quick look through a pair of binoculars, however, reveals the crescent. Point your optics southwest after sunset. No sky map is required; you can't miss Venus.
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
RADIO STORMS ON JUPITER: Last week, there was a storm on Jupiter--a radio storm. Amateur radio astronomer Thomas Ashcraft recorded the event on Dec. 23rd using a shortwave radio telescope located in New Mexico. Click on the image to hear the whooshing, crackling, popping sounds that emerged from his telescope's loudspeaker:
"Although few were aware of it, Earth was bathed in Jovian radio beams for an hour and half," says Ashcraft. "
The audio recording captures the sounds I heard during one minute around 09:30 UT."
Jupiter's radio storms are caused by natural radio lasers in the planet's magnetosphere that sweep past Earth as Jupiter rotates. Electrical currents flowing between Jupiter's upper atmosphere and the volcanic moon Io can boost these emissions to power levels easily detected by ham radio antennas on Earth. Jovian "S-bursts" (short bursts) and "L-bursts" (long bursts) mimic the sounds of woodpeckers, whales, and waves crashing on the beach. Here are a few audio samples: S-bursts, S-bursts (slowed down 128:1), L-Bursts
Now is a good time to listen to Jupiter's radio storms. The distance between Earth and Jupiter is decreasing as the giant planet approaches opposition on Jan. 5th; and the closer Jupiter comes, the louder it gets. Jupiter is a bit like a lighthouse. It is possible to predict when the planet's most intense radio beams will sweep past Earth. The next storm is due on Dec. 30th between 10:00 and 11:00 UT. NASA's Radio Jove Project explains how to build your own receiver.
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
Realtime Comet Photo Gallery
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. 27, 2013, the network reported 16 fireballs.
(13 sporadics, 2 December Leonis Minorids, 1 December Hydrid)
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]
On Dec. 26, 2013, the network reported 24 fireballs.
(21 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]
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 29, 2013 there were 1448 potentially hazardous asteroids.
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. | The official U.S. government space weather bureau |
| The first place to look for information about sundogs, pillars, rainbows and related phenomena. |
| Researchers call it a "Hubble for the sun." SDO is the most advanced solar observatory ever. |
| 3D views of the sun from NASA's Solar and Terrestrial Relations Observatory |
| Realtime and archival images of the Sun from SOHO. |
| from the NOAA Space Environment Center |
| the underlying science of space weather |