SPACE WEATHER Current Conditions Solar Wind velocity: 381.0 km/s density:37.3 protons/cm3 explanation | more data Updated: Today at 2245 UT X-ray Solar Flares 6-hr max: C3 2245 UT Apr21 24-hr: C4 0445 UT Apr21 explanation | more data Updated: Today at 2250 UT Daily Sun: 21 Apr '01 Sunspot 9435 is growing rapidly and could soon pose a threat for substantial flares. The returning sunspot 9393 (also known as 9433) has a twisted beta-gamma magnetic field that likely harbors energy for strong M-class flares. Sunspot Number: 103 More about sunspots Updated: 20 Apr 2001 Radio Meteor Rate 24 hr max: 117 per hr Listen to the Meteor Radar! Updated: 20 Apr 2001 Interplanetary Mag. Field Btotal: 5.8 nT Bz: 5.0 nT north explanation | more data Updated: Today at 2248 UT Coronal Holes: There are no substantial coronal holes revealed in this soft x-ray image of the Sun. Image credit: Yohkoh Soft X-ray 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 21 2200 UT FLARE | 24 hr | 48 hr | CLASS M | 75 % | 75 % | CLASS X | 10 % | 10 % | 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 21 2200 UT Mid-latitudes | 24 hr | 48 hr | ACTIVE | 20 % | 20 % | MINOR | 10 % | 10 % | SEVERE | 01 % | 01 % | High latitudes | 24 hr | 48 hr | ACTIVE | 20 % | 20 % | MINOR | 10 % | 10 % | SEVERE | 01 % | 01 % | Web server provided by VPS Hosting | What's Up in Space -- 21 Apr 2001 Subscribe to Space Weather News! LYRID METEORS: The Lyrid meteor shower peaks on Sunday April 22nd. If clouds threaten to spoil the show where you live, you can listen to the Lyrids by tuning in to the NASA meteor radar at the Marshall Space Flight Center. [listen!] IT'S BACK: Giant sunspot 9393 -- the source of the biggest solar flare ever recorded and several geomagnetic storms earlier this month-- disappeared two weeks ago when it rotated around the Sun's western limb. Now, after crossing the back side of our star, 9393 has returned. At its peak on March 28th the active region covered an area equal to fourteen planet Earths. The behemoth is now only a shadow of its former self, covering an area of five Earths on April 20th. Above: This SOHO white light image of the Sun reveals sunspot 9393 returning over the Sun's eastern limb. NEW AURORA IMAGES: As night fell across North America last Tuesday an interplanetary shock wave swept past Earth and triggered a strong G3-category geomagnetic storm. Sky watchers across Canada and in many US states (as far south as California) spotted bright Northern Lights. If you missed the storm, don't worry, you can still visit our April 18th Aurora Gallery. 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 21 Apr 2001 there were 304 known Potentially Hazardous Asteroids April 2001 Earth-asteroid encounters Object | Date (UTC) | Miss Distance | 2001 GT2 | 2001-Apr-01 00:09 | 0.0454 AU | 2001 HB | 2001-Apr-02 04:21 | 0.0323 AU | 2001 FA58 | 2001-Apr-02 07:56 | 0.1128 AU | 1986 PA | 2001-Apr-03 01:06 | 0.1465 AU | 2000 EE104 | 2001-Apr-12 20:37 | 0.0822 AU | 2001 GR2 | 2001-Apr-18 04:07 | 0.0761 AU | 2001 GQ2 | 2001-Apr-27 12:00 | 0.0199 AU | - 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 |