SPACE WEATHER Current Conditions Solar Wind speed: 370.5 km/s density:3.8 protons/cm3 explanation | more data Updated: Today at 2256 UT X-ray Solar Flares 6-hr max: B5 2150 UT Jun13 24-hr: B8 0215 UT Jun13 explanation | more data Updated: Today at 2245 UT Daily Sun: 13 June '02 Sunspot 9987 has a beta-gamma magnetic field that harbors energy for M-class flares. Image credit: SOHO/MDI The Far Side of the Sun This holographic image reveals no large spots on the far side of the Sun. Image credit: SOHO/MDI Sunspot Number: 134 More about sunspots Updated: 12 Jun 2002 Interplanetary Mag. Field Btotal: 4.6 nT Bz: 2.0 nT north explanation | more data Updated: Today at 2257 UT Coronal Holes: Earth could enter a solar wind stream flowing from the indicated coronal hole as early as June 14th. 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 2002 Jun 13 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 2002 Jun 13 2200 UTC Mid-latitudes | 0-24 hr | 24-48 hr | ACTIVE | 10 % | 20 % | MINOR | 01 % | 10 % | SEVERE | 01 % | 01 % | High latitudes | 0-24 hr | 24-48 hr | ACTIVE | 15 % | 25 % | MINOR | 05 % | 10 % | SEVERE | 01 % | 01 % | Web server provided by VPS Hosting | What's Up in Space -- 13 Jun 2002 Subscribe to Space Weather News! VENUS AND THE MOON: For the second night in a row, the crescent Moon will have a close encounter with a planet. On Wednesday it was Jupiter. Tonight it's Venus. The Moon and Venus will form an eye-catching pair in the western sky after sunset. If you step outside to see them, look also for a ghostly glow across the Moon's dark terrain -- it's what astronomers call Earthshine. [finder chart] ECLIPSE DOG: Perhaps you've heard of sundogs. But what about eclipse-dogs? In this image, Dave Larzelere's dog Penny is covered with crescent-shaped shadows cast during Monday's partial solar eclipse. Watching shadows and shafts of light through trees, window blinds, and hand puppets is a delightful way to enjoy eclipses. Visit our photo gallery and see for yourself. SUN DOGS: On June 9, 2002, Becky Ramotowski was visiting the Ft. McKavett State Historical Park in Texas when she saw two bright and colorful spots on either side of the setting Sun. They were sundogs -- caused by sunlight shining through airborne ice crystals. Although sundogs (and their cousins Sun halos and pillars) are caused by ice crystals, they can be seen at any time of year -- even during a hot summer. That's because high altitude clouds are always cold enough for ice to form. One day, perhaps, someone will spot a Venusdog, too! 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. On 13 Jun 2002 there were 439 known Potentially Hazardous Asteroids June 2002 Earth-asteroid encountersNotes: 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. - COMET IKEYA-ZHANG: The brightest comet in years delighted sky watchers in March and April 2002. [gallery]
- GONE JUPITER: On Feb. 22, 2002, the Moon had a close encounter with Jupiter. [gallery]
- GONE SATURN: On Feb. 20, 2002, the Moon glided in front of Saturn and its mysterious rings. [gallery]
- HOT COMET: Periodic comet 96P/Machholz put on a dazzling show as it swung by the Sun on Jan. 8, 2002.
- ASTEROID FLYBY: Asteroid 2001 YB5 raced past Earth on Jan. 7, 2002, only two times farther away than the Moon. [gallery]
- SUBTLE ECLIPSE: The Moon dipped into the outskirts of Earth's shadow on Dec. 30, 2001. [gallery]
- MOON & SATURN: The Moon keeps getting in the way of Saturn! See the series of close encounters here.
- CHRISTMAS LIGHTS: On Christmas Eve, 2001, a solar wind stream triggered Northern Lights. [gallery]
- SOLAR ECLIPSE: Sky watchers in Hawaii and most parts of North America experienced a partial solar eclipse on Dec. 14th. [gallery]
- BRIGHT ASTEROID: Videos and images of 1998 WT24 -- a big and bright near-Earth asteroid that came close to our planet on Dec. 16, 2001. [gallery]
- NORTHERN LIGHTS: On Nov. 24th a pair of coronal mass ejections swept past Earth and triggered worldwide auroras.
- LEONIDS 2001: Some people saw it. Others heard it. In either case, they'll never forget it: The 2001 Leonid meteor storm.
- 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]
- 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]
Nov. 7 , 2001: What Lies beneath a Sunspot -- Awesome plasma hurricanes were one of the surprises revealed when scientists peered beneath the stormy surface of our star. Nov. 7 , 2001: What Lies beneath a Sunspot -- Awesome plasma hurricanes were one of the surprises revealed when scientists peered beneath the stormy surface of our star. Oct. 26 , 2001: 'tis the Season for Auroras -- Autumn is a good time to spot Northern Lights. Oct. 17, 2001: Halley's Comet Returns ... in bits and pieces -- The annual Orionid meteor shower peaks on October 21st. Aug. 9, 2001: Horse Flies and Meteors -- Like bugs streaking down the side window of a moving car, long and colorful Perseid Earthgrazers could put on a remarkable show on August 11th. 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. |