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SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids
SPACE WEATHER
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 378.4 km/sec
density: 2.1 protons/cm3
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2345 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: B1
1800 UT Feb20
24-hr: B1
1800 UT Feb20
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at: 2345 UT
Daily Sun: 19 Feb. 10
Sunspot 1049 is slowly growing but it does not yet pose a threat for strong solar flares. Image credit: SOHO/MDI
Sunspot number: 23
What is the sunspot number?
Updated 18 Feb 2010

Spotless Days
Current Stretch: 0 days
2010 total: 2 days (4%)
2009 total: 260 days (71%)
Since 2004: 772 days
Typical Solar Min: 485 days
explanation | more info
Updated 18 Feb 2010


The Radio Sun
10.7 cm flux: 85 sfu
explanation | more data
Updated 18 Feb 2010

Current Auroral Oval:
Switch to: Europe, USA, New Zealand, Antarctica
Credit: NOAA/POES
Planetary K-index
Now: Kp= 0 quiet
24-hr max: Kp= 0
quiet
explanation | more data
Interplanetary Mag. Field
Btotal: 6.4 nT
Bz: 2.0 nT north
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2346 UT
Coronal Holes:
There are no large coronal holes on the Earth-facing side of the sun. Credit: SOHO Extreme UV Telescope
SPACE WEATHER
NOAA Forecasts
Updated at: 2010 Feb 20 2201 UTC
FLARE
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
CLASS M
01 %
01 %
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: 2010 Feb 20 2201 UTC
Mid-latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
05 %
05 %
MINOR
01 %
01 %
SEVERE
01 %
01 %
High latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
05 %
05 %
MINOR
05 %
05 %
SEVERE
01 %
01 %
What's up in Space
February 20, 2010

NEW AND IMPROVED: Turn your iPhone or iPod into a field-tested global satellite tracker. The Satellite Flybys app now works in all countries.

 

KILLER SUNDOG: In case you missed it last week, here it is again. On Feb. 11th, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory flew through a sundog and destroyed it. Hundreds of onlookers at the Kennedy Space Center witnessed the event and a few of them made video recordings. Watch the movies in today's story from Science@NASA.

DOUBLE FLYBY ALERT: Space shuttle Endeavour undocked from the International Space Station last night, setting the stage for a weekend of bright double flybys. This morning, John C McConnell caught the pair streaking over his roof in Maghaberry Northern Ireland:

"I woke up early to catch the ISS/Endeavour pass at 0547UT," says McConnell. "I was just focusing the lens (with very cold fingers) when the two popped out of Earth's shadow just east of Spica. Endeavour was about half a degree in front of the ISS and glowed with a strange orange colour. Because they were in almost the same orbit, their streaks in the photo overlap."

Double flybys will continue through Sunday night, Feb. 21st when Endeavour returns to Earth in a rare after-dark landing at Kennedy Space Center (10:16 p.m. EST). Not everyone will see a flyby--the two spaceships can't be everywhere--but many sky watchers are in for a good show. Check the Simple Satellite Tracker to see if you are favored with an apparition.

more images: from Marco Langbroek of Leiden, the Netherlands; from George Anderson of Wokingham, Berkshire, England; from Richard P. Nugent of Framingham, Mass.;

PLASMA PLUMES: On Feb. 15th and 16th, NASA's STEREO Ahead spacecraft observed a remarkable series of eruptions from decaying sunspot 1045. Click on the image to set the scene in motion.

The active region's unstable magnetic field spat more than a dozen plasma plumes into space over a two day period. The temperature of the gas in these plumes was at least 60,000 C. None of the plumes will impact Earth because the sunspot was facing away from us at the time of the eruptions. Nevertheless, it is a compelling reminder that solar activity is on the rise. Stay tuned for more plasma!


February Northern Lights Gallery
[previous Februarys: 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2004, 2003, 2002]

 
       
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 February 20, 2010 there were 1100 potentially hazardous asteroids.
Feb. 2010 Earth-asteroid encounters:
Asteroid
Date(UT)
Miss Distance
Mag.
Size
2009 UN3
Feb. 9
14.3 LD
12
1.2 km
2010 CK19
Feb. 17
0.9 LD
17
11 m
2001 FD58
Feb. 19
58.5 LD
17
0.9 km
2010 CJ18
Feb. 19
3.3 LD
18
20 m
2002 EZ11
Feb. 24
77.5 LD
18
1.0 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 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 and Heliospheric Observatory
  Realtime and archival images of the Sun from SOHO.
STEREO
  3D views of the sun from NASA's Solar and Terrestrial Relations Observatory
Daily Sunspot Summaries
  from the NOAA Space Environment Center
Current Solar Images
  from the National Solar Data Analysis Center
Science Central
   
  more links...
   
©2008, SpaceWeather.com -- This site is penned daily by Dr. Tony Phillips.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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