|   SPACE WEATHER
Current
Conditions
Solar Wind
velocity: 532.4 km/s
density:1.2 protons/cm3
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2246 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: no data 2150 UT Apr02
24-hr: no data 2150 UT Apr02
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2250 UT
Daily Sun: 02 Apr '01 
The large sunspot group 9393 exhibits a delta magnetic field that harbors energy for powerful X-class solar flares. Sunspot 9408 also has a beta-gamma magnetic field that could produce M-class eruptions.
Sunspot Number: 320
More about sunspots
Updated: 01 Apr 2001
Radio Meteor Rate
24 hr max: 39 per hr
Listen to the Meteor Radar!
Updated: 02 Apr 2001 Interplanetary Mag. Field
Btotal: 6.0 nT
Bz: 2.3 nT north
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2247 UT Coronal Holes:
This small coronal hole is spewing a high-speed solar wind stream that Earth might encounter in a few days. Image credit: SOHO Extreme UV Telescope.
More about coronal holes
 SPACE WEATHER
NOAA
Forecasts
Solar Flares: Probabilities for a medium-sized (M-class) or a major (X-class) solar flare during the next 24/48 hours are tabulated below.
Updated at 2001 Apr 01 2200 UT
| FLARE | 24 hr | 48 hr | | CLASS M | 80 % | 80 % | | CLASS X | 35 % | 35 % |
Geomagnetic Storms: Probabilities for significant disturbances in Earth's magnetic field are given for three activity levels: active, minor storm, severe storm
Updated at 2001 Apr 01 2200 UT Mid-latitudes | 24 hr | 48 hr | | ACTIVE | 28 % | 28 % | | MINOR | 18 % | 18 % | | SEVERE | 17 % | 12 % |
High latitudes | 24 hr | 48 hr | | ACTIVE | 28 % | 28 % | | MINOR | 18 % | 18 % | | SEVERE | 12 % | 10 % |
Web server provided by
VPS Hosting
| What's Up in Space -- 2 Apr 2001
Subscribe to Space Weather News! X-FLARE: Sunspot 9393 unleashed a pair of X1-class solar flares Monday morning between 1010 and 1140 UT (April 2nd). The explosions, near the Sun's northwest limb, hurled a coronal mass ejection (CME) into space - but apparently not toward Earth. Another bright CME left the Sun on Sunday (April 1st) following an M5-class eruption. Analysis shows Sunday's CME was a backside event -- it is heading away from our planet. [Movies: Sunday's CME; Monday's CME] Stay tuned for more information.  AURORAL WEEKEND: A powerful geomagnetic storm raged for more than 24 hours this weekend, dazzling sky watchers who saw aurora borealis as far south as Mexico. The storm began at 0100 UT on March 31st (8 p.m. EST on March 30th) when a coronal mass ejection (CME) struck Earth's magnetosphere. The leading edge of the CME was dense (150 protons/cm3) and strongly magnetized -- traits that can (and did) give rise to intense auroras. Veteran aurora watchers describe the display as arguably the most photogenic of the current solar cycle.
See the Weekend Aurora Gallery The speed of the solar wind rushing past our planet remains high, and gusts could re-energize the storm. Sky watchers above ~55 deg. geomagnetic latitude should remain alert for isolated episodes of Northern Lights. The best time to look is near local midnight. 
Above: The Kp index, a measure of global geomagnetic activity, soared to storm levels on March 31st. The CME that hit Earth's magnetosphere on March 31st was hurled into space by explosions near the giant sunspot 9393.  SUNSPOT 9393: The largest sunspot in a decade is shrinking, but it is still a whopper covering an area of the solar disk equivalent to the surface area of ten planet Earths. You can this huge spot for yourself, but be careful: Looking directly at the Sun can cause permanent eye damage. Click to learn more about safe solar observing.
WEB LINKS: NOAA FORECAST | GLOSSARY | SPACE WEATHER TUTORIAL | LESSON PLANS | BECOME A SUBSCRIBER | 
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 are on a collision course with our planet, although astronomers are finding new ones all the time. [more]
On 2 Apr 2001 there were 298 known Potentially
Hazardous Asteroids ASTEROIDS GALORE: March has been a good month for asteroid hunters. Since March 21st astronomers have spotted six Earth-approaching space rocks (click to view 3D orbits): 2001 FE90, 2001 FB90, 2001 FD58, 2001 FC58, 2001 FA58 and 2001 FO32. There is no danger of a collision with any of these asteroids. Earth-asteroid encounters (Mar 1 - Apr 30) 
- TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE: On Jan. 9, 2001, the full Moon glided through Earth's copper-colored shadow. [gallery]
- CHRISTMAS ECLIPSE: Sky watchers across North America enjoyed a partial solar eclipse on Christmas Day 2000 [gallery]
- LEONIDS 2000: Observers around the globe enjoyed three predicted episodes of shooting stars. [gallery]
 Feb. 21, 2001: Nature's Tiniest Space Junk -- Using an experimental radar at the Marshall Space Flight Center, scientists are monitoring tiny but hazardous meteoroids that swarm around our planet. Feb. 15, 2001: The Sun Does a Flip -- NASA scientists who monitor the Sun say our star's enormous magnetic field is reversing -- a sure sign that solar maximum is here. Jan. 25, 2001: Earth's Invisible Magnetic Tail -- NASA's IMAGE spacecraft, the first to enjoy a global view of the magnetosphere, spotted a curious plasma tail pointing from Earth toward the Sun. Jan. 4, 2001: Earth at Perihelion -- On January 4, 2001, our planet made its annual closest approach to the Sun. Dec. 29, 2000: Millennium Meteors -- North Americans will have a front-row seat for a brief but powerful meteor shower on January 3, 2001. Dec. 28, 2000: Galileo Looks for Auroras on Ganymede -- NASA's durable Galileo spacecraft flew above the solar system's largest moon this morning in search of extraterrestrial "Northern Lights" Dec. 22, 2000: Watching the Angry Sun -- Solar physicists are enjoying their best-ever look at a Solar Maximum thanks to NOAA and NASA satellites. MORE SPACE WEATHER HEADLINES |
