SPACE WEATHER
Current
Conditions

Solar Wind
velocity: 264.0 km/s
density:0.3 protons/cm³
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2044 UT

NOTE: ACE solar wind speed values, reported above, may be corrupted by the ongoing radiation storm. Check the SOHO Proton Monitor for current wind speed estimates.

X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: M1 1545 UT Nov06
24-hr: M1 0300 UT Nov06
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2045 UT

Daily Sun: 06 Nov '01
Sunspot 9684 has a delta class magnetic field that poses a threat for additional X-flares. Active regions 9682, 9685, and 9687 have gamma-class magnetic fields that harbor energy for M-class eruptions. Image credit: SOHO/MDI

The Far Side of the Sun
This holographic image reveals one or two mid-sized spots on the far side of the Sun. Image credit: SOHO/MDI

Sunspot Number: 159
More about sunspots
Updated: 05 Nov 2001

Radio Meteor Rate
24 hr max: 12 per hr
Listen to the Meteor Radar!
Updated: 06 Nov 2001

Interplanetary Mag. Field
B_total: 20.2 nT
B_z: 11.9 nT south
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 1713 UT

Coronal Holes:

A small coronal hole is crossing the Sun's central meridian. Solar wind gusts from the hole could hit Earth's magnetic field as early as Tuesday or Wednesday. Image credit: Yohkoh Soft X-ray Telescope.
More about coronal holes

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What's Up in Space -- 6 Nov 2001 Subscribe to Space Weather News! REMAIN ALERT: Although last night's severe geomagnetic storm has subsided, it has not gone away altogether. High-speed solar wind gusts continue to buffet our planet's magnetosphere. Sky watchers living above ~50 deg. magnetic latitude should remain alert for Northern Lights after sunset on Tuesday. AURORA BLAST: A fast-moving coronal mass ejection that billowed away from the Sun on Nov. 4th swept past our planet at 0150 UT on Nov 6th (8:50 p.m. EST on Nov 5th). The impact triggered a severe geomagnetic storm and widespread auroras reaching as far south as Florida, Texas, and California in the United States. Visit our aurora gallery for photos! Above: NOAA's estimated planetary K-index soared to severe storm levels on Nov 6th when a CME hit Earth's magnetosphere. LEARN MORE: Autumn is a good time to spot Northern Lights. This Science@NASA story explains why. RADIATION STORM: Our planet remains inside a stream of energetic solar protons accelerated by Sunday's X1-class solar flare and coronal mass ejection (CME). The ongoing radiation storm reached severe (S4) levels on Monday, but is subsiding now that the CME has passed our planet. Above: The flux of energetic protons near our planet soared 10,000-fold after a solar explosion on Nov. 4th. 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.

Nov. - Dec. 2001 Earth-asteroid encounters

ASTEROID		MISS DISTANCE	MAG.
2001 TC45	Nov. 8	29.1 LD	16.6
1998 WT24	Dec. 16	4.9 LD	9.3
2001 AD2	Dec. 24	32.4 LD	17.7

Notes: LD is a "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.

• PERSEIDS 2001: Perseid watchers on August 12th spotted meteors, auroras, and a disintegrating Russian rocket! [gallery]
• MORNING PLANETS: In July and Aug. 2001, the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, and Mercury put on a dazzling early-morning sky show. [gallery]
• C/2001 A2 (LINEAR): This volatile comet is still visible through small telescopes as it recedes from Earth. [gallery]
• ECLIPSE SAFARI: Onlookers cried out in delight on June 21, 2001, when the Moon covered the African Sun, revealing the dazzling corona. [gallery]
• 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]

July 27, 2001: Meteorites Don't Pop Corn -- A fireball that dazzled Americans on July 23rd probably didn't scorch any cornfields, contrary to widespread reports.

June 12, 2001: The Biggest Explosions in the Solar System -- NASA's HESSI spacecraft aims to unravel an explosive mystery: the origin of solar flares.

Feb. 21, 2001: Nature's Tiniest Space Junk -- Using an experimental radar, NASA 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.