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SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids
 
Solar wind
speed: 534.0 km/sec
density: 2.70 protons/cm3
more data: ACE, DSCOVR
Updated: Today at 1146 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: M1
2137 UT Feb08
24-hr: M2
0253 UT Feb08
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at: 2350 UT
Daily Sun: 08 Feb 23
Expand: labels | no labels
A new and apparently large sunspot is emerging at the circled location. Also, sunspot AR3213 has a 'beta-gamma' magnetic field that harbors energy for M-class solar flares. Credit: SDO/HMI

Sunspot number: 110
What is the sunspot number?
Updated 08 Feb 2023

Spotless Days
Current Stretch: 0 days
2023 total: 0 days (0%)
2022 total: 1 day (<1%)
2021 total: 64 days (18%)
2020 total: 208 days (57%)
2019 total: 281 days (77%)
2018 total: 221 days (61%)
2017 total: 104 days (28%)
2016 total: 32 days (9%)
2015 total: 0 days (0%)
2014 total: 1 day (<1%)
2013 total: 0 days (0%)
2012 total: 0 days (0%)
2011 total: 2 days (<1%)
2010 total: 51 days (14%)
2009 total: 260 days (71%)
2008 total: 268 days (73%)
2007 total: 152 days (42%)
2006 total: 70 days (19%)

Updated 08 Feb 2023


Thermosphere Climate Index
today: 18.63
x1010 W Warm
Max: 49.4
x1010 W Hot (10/1957)
Min: 2.05
x1010 W Cold (02/2009)
explanation | more data: gfx, txt
Updated 07 Feb 2023

The Radio Sun
10.7 cm flux: 185 sfu
explanation | more data
Updated 08 Feb 2023

Cosmic Rays Solar Cycle 25 is beginning, and this is reflected in the number of cosmic rays entering Earth's atmosphere. Neutron counts from the University of Oulu's Sodankyla Geophysical Observatory show that cosmic rays reaching Earth are slowly declining--a result of the yin-yang relationship between the solar cycle and cosmic rays.

Oulu Neutron Counts

Percentages of the Space Age average:
today: -0.2% Below Average
48-hr change: -0.9%
Max: +11.7% Very High
(12/2009)
Min: -32.1% Very Low (06/1991)
explanation | more data
Updated 08 Feb 2023 @ 0700 UT

Current Auroral Oval:
Switch to: Europe, USA, New Zealand, Antarctica
Credit: NOAA/Ovation
Planetary K-index
Now: Kp= 3.33 quiet
24-hr max: Kp= 3.67
quiet
explanation | more data
Interplanetary Mag. Field
Btotal: 4.43 nT
Bz: -3.77 nT south
more data: ACE, DSCOVR
Updated: Today at 1146 UT
Coronal Holes: 08 Feb 23

There are no significant coronal holes on the Earthside of the sun.
Credit: SDO/AIA

Noctilucent Clouds
The southern hemisphere season for noctilucent clouds has begun. NASA's AIM spacecraft detected the first electric-blue puffs over Antarctica on Dec. 1st.
Switch view:Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula, East Antarctica, Polar
Updated Feb08
SPACE WEATHER
NOAA Forecasts
Updated at: 2023 Feb 08 2200 UTC
FLARE
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
CLASS M
55 %
55 %
CLASS X
15 %
15 %
Geomagnetic Storms:
Probabilities for significant disturbances in Earth's magnetic field are given for three activity levels: active, minor storm, severe storm
Updated at: 2023 Feb 08 2200 UTC
Mid-latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
20 %
20 %
MINOR
05 %
05 %
SEVERE
01 %
01 %
High latitudes
0-24 hr
24-48 hr
ACTIVE
20 %
15 %
MINOR
30 %
25 %
SEVERE
25 %
25 %
 
Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023
What's up in space
       
 

Never miss another geomagnetic storm. Sign up for Space Weather Alerts and you'll receive a text message when magnetic storms erupt. Aurora tour guides and professional astronomers use this service. You can, too!

 

A BIG SUNSPOT IS EMERGING: A new and apparently large sunspot is emerging over the sun's southeastern limb. Amateur astronomers with solar telescopes should point their optics right here to see what is coming. This is the same active region that produced a dramatic explosion from the farside of the sun on Feb. 7th. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.

STRANGE TIDES IN THE PLASMASPHERE: Tides are one of the oldest phenomena known to physics. Ocean waters rise and fall like clockwork in response to the gravitational pull of the sun and Moon. There's nothing surprising about tides.

Yet, researchers studying tides have just found a big surprise. There are tides in Earth's plasmasphere, and they are very strange. The discovery was published in the Jan 26th edition of Nature Physics.

The plasmasphere is a lopsided donut of cold plasma inside Earth's magnetic field. It is created by leakage from the top of Earth's atmosphere (the ionosphere). The outer surface of the plasmasphere is called "the plasmapause"--and that is where the tides have been found.

"We can think of the plasmapause as the surface of a 'plasma ocean' surrounding Earth," says one of the lead authors Quanqi Shi of Shandong University. "Using a 40-year database of satellite observations, we report the first identification of lunar tides on the surface of this plasma ocean."

It is not surprising that Moon's gravity would stretch and modulate the shape of the plasmasphere. After all, the plasmasphere is made of matter, and matter responds to gravity. But the response is not what the researchers expected.

Shi explains: "Interestingly, the lunar plasmaspheric tide forms a few percent bulge that is offset 90 degrees ahead of the Earth-Moon axis, which is significantly different from the high tide in Earth's liquid oceans." This inexplicable offset was verified by nearly 36,000 plasmapause crossings by various spacecraft over almost four solar cycles from 1977 to 2015.


Above: Sample images of the plasmasphere taken by NASA's IMAGE spacecraft (left) and China's Chang’e-3 spacecraft (right). [extended caption] [source]

What's going on?  The researchers aren't certain, but they believe gravity and electromagnetism may have joined forces to produce a new kind of tidal effect.

Space physicists have long known that the Moon's gravity affects winds in Earth's ionized upper atmosphere. This means the Moon can actually modify electrical currents in the ionosphere, altering electromagnetic fields. The research team looked at data from NASA's Van Allen Probes and found that, indeed, electric fields reaching up into the plasmasphere appear to be modulated by lunar tides. Computer models suggest that these fields can shift the  bulge to a 90 degree offset position and explain its daily and monthly variations.

"Our discovery of this plasma tidal effect may indicate a fundamental interaction mechanism in the Earth-Moon system that has not been previously considered," says Shi. "Understanding this phenomenon could lead to better forecasts of space weather and improved safety for spacecraft and satellites."

For more information about these strange tides, please read the team's original research.

SOLAR FLARE AND RADIO BLACKOUT: Two days ago, sunspot AR3213 didn't even exist. Now it stretches almost 100,000 km across the surface of the sun with at least two dark cores larger than Earth. The fast-growing spot is crackling with solar flares. The strongest so far, an M6-class flare on Feb 7th (2307 UTC), caused a shortwave radio blackout over the Pacific Ocean:


Mariners and ham radio operators around the Pacific may have noticed unusual propagation effects at frequencies below 30 MHz for at least an hour after the flare.

This explosion did not produce a CME. However, future explosions might. The sunspot has an unstable 'beta-gamma' magnetic field that harbors energy for strong flares; NOAA forecasters say there is a 25% chance of M-flares and a 5% chance of X-flares on Feb. 8th. The sunspot is almost directly facing Earth, so stay tuned. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.

Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
Free:
Spaceweather.com Newsletter

18K GOLD CUPID'S COMPASS: Are you looking for a romantic gift? Consider Cupid's Compass. This premuim 18K gold-filled pendant flew to the stratosphere on Jan. 6th onboard an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray research balloon:

You can have it for $259.95. Engraved with the words "I'd be lost without you", the hypoallergenic pendant has a 5-star cubic zirconia crystal in the middle surrounded by a ring of equally high-grade 5A cubic zirconia nuggets. It is a visually striking pendant that makes a once-in-a-lifetime Valentine's, anniversary or birthday gift. 

The students are selling space pendants to pay the helium bill for their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each one comes with a greeting card showing the jewelry in flight and telling the story of its trip to the stratosphere and back again.

Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education


Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
Free:
Spaceweather.com Newsletter

  All Sky Fireball Network
Every night, a network of NASA all-sky cameras scans the skies above the United States for meteoritic fireballs. Automated software maintained by NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office calculates their orbits, velocity, penetration depth in Earth's atmosphere and many other characteristics. Daily results are presented here on Spaceweather.com.

On Feb 08 2023, the network reported 2 fireballs.
(2 sporadics)

In this diagram of the inner solar system, all of the fireball orbits intersect at a single point--Earth. The orbits are color-coded by velocity, from slow (red) to fast (blue). [Larger image] [movies]

  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 8, 2023 there were 2328 potentially hazardous asteroids.
Recent & Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:
Asteroid
Date(UT)
Miss Distance
Velocity (km/s)
Diameter (m)
2023 BR5
2023-Feb-03
10.9 LD
7.9
11
367789
2023-Feb-03
4.7 LD
9.9
157
2010 LK34
2023-Feb-03
10.3 LD
26.9
141
2023 BN6
2023-Feb-04
2 LD
7.5
32
2020 OO1
2023-Feb-04
4.8 LD
7.7
19
2023 BO7
2023-Feb-04
14.3 LD
5.1
13
2023 BZ7
2023-Feb-04
12.1 LD
9.3
21
2023 BC4
2023-Feb-04
16.2 LD
11.6
56
2023 BG4
2023-Feb-05
17.2 LD
10.4
31
2023 BT1
2023-Feb-06
16.9 LD
8.8
30
2023 CC
2023-Feb-06
3.9 LD
9
22
2022 YO6
2023-Feb-06
12.1 LD
13.4
159
2023 CO
2023-Feb-06
6 LD
6.6
35
2023 BU7
2023-Feb-08
1.3 LD
1.7
3
2023 BS
2023-Feb-08
19.4 LD
10.9
35
2023 BO8
2023-Feb-08
4.2 LD
6.6
16
2022 CX1
2023-Feb-09
17.4 LD
13.2
14
2023 BC8
2023-Feb-11
15.5 LD
14
51
2021 EP4
2023-Feb-13
19 LD
6.1
5
199145
2023-Feb-16
12 LD
24.6
770
2022 RG
2023-Feb-16
8.2 LD
3
25
2020 DG4
2023-Feb-17
1.4 LD
6.9
8
2020 CX1
2023-Feb-19
17.4 LD
7.7
53
37638
2023-Feb-21
17 LD
11.1
493
2023 AA2
2023-Feb-22
17.4 LD
10.1
133
2012 DK31
2023-Feb-27
12.6 LD
15.5
143
2006 BE55
2023-Feb-28
9.4 LD
13.3
145
2021 QW
2023-Mar-03
13.9 LD
12.1
79
2017 BM123
2023-Mar-03
12.1 LD
7.8
61
2007 ED125
2023-Mar-03
11.7 LD
13.1
224
2015 EG
2023-Mar-04
13.9 LD
10.6
27
2023 BK5
2023-Mar-05
17.8 LD
8.4
62
535844
2023-Mar-07
10.5 LD
7.7
149
2020 FQ
2023-Mar-09
14 LD
6.3
13
2020 FV4
2023-Mar-13
17.6 LD
8.2
30
2023 CM
2023-Mar-15
10.6 LD
13.8
190
2018 UQ1
2023-Mar-17
10.7 LD
11.7
143
2016 WH
2023-Mar-19
18.1 LD
11.8
14
2018 FE3
2023-Mar-21
10.1 LD
5.4
13
2022 YK4
2023-Mar-29
11.9 LD
2.3
25
2017 SE12
2023-Mar-30
5.2 LD
8.4
15
2016 GH1
2023-Mar-30
7.7 LD
5.8
11
2022 GO3
2023-Apr-02
17 LD
11.6
15
2021 GN1
2023-Apr-02
17.7 LD
14.2
18
2018 FD
2023-Apr-07
17.9 LD
8.2
47
Notes: LD means "Lunar Distance." 1 LD = 384,401 km, the distance between Earth and the Moon. 1 LD also equals 0.00256 AU.
  Cosmic Rays in the Atmosphere

SPACE WEATHER BALLOON DATA: Almost once a week, Spaceweather.com and the students of Earth to Sky Calculus fly space weather balloons to the stratosphere over California. These balloons are equipped with sensors that detect secondary cosmic rays, a form of radiation from space that can penetrate all the way down to Earth's surface. Our monitoring program has been underway without interruption for 7 years, resulting in a unique dataset of in situ atmospheric measurements.

Latest results (July 2022): Atmospheric radiation is decreasing in 2022. Our latest measurements in July 2022 registered a 6-year low:

What's going on? Ironically, the radiation drop is caused by increasing solar activity. Solar Cycle 25 has roared to life faster than forecasters expected. The sun's strengthening and increasingly tangled magnetic field repels cosmic rays from deep space. In addition, solar coronal mass ejections (CMEs) sweep aside cosmic rays, causing sharp reductions called "Forbush Decreases." The two effects blend together to bring daily radiation levels down.

.Who cares? Cosmic rays are a surprisingly "down to Earth" form of space weather. They can alter the chemistry of the atmosphere, trigger lightning, and penetrate commercial airplanes. According to a study from the Harvard T.H. Chan school of public health, crews of aircraft have higher rates of cancer than the general population. The researchers listed cosmic rays, irregular sleep habits, and chemical contaminants as leading risk factors. A number of controversial studies (#1, #2, #3, #4) go even further, linking cosmic rays with cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death.

Technical notes: The radiation sensors onboard our helium balloons detect X-rays and gamma-rays in the energy range 10 keV to 20 MeV. These energies span the range of medical X-ray machines and airport security scanners.

Data points in the graph labeled "Stratospheric Radiation" correspond to the peak of the Regener-Pfotzer maximum, which lies about 67,000 feet above central California. When cosmic rays crash into Earth's atmosphere, they produce a spray of secondary particles that is most intense at the entrance to the stratosphere. Physicists Eric Regener and Georg Pfotzer discovered the maximum using balloons in the 1930s and it is what we are measuring today.

  Essential web 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 Dynamics Observatory
  Researchers call it a "Hubble for the sun." SDO is the most advanced solar observatory ever.
STEREO
  3D views of the sun from NASA's Solar and Terrestrial Relations Observatory
Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
  Realtime and archival images of the Sun from SOHO.
SolarMonitor.org
  information about sunspots based on the latest NOAA/USAF Active Region Summary
Starlink Satellite Statistics
  current counts of failed and deployed Starlink satellites from Jonathan's Space Page
The Aerospace Corporation
  Authoritative predictions of space junk and satellite re-entries
Daily Sunspot Summaries
  from the NOAA Space Environment Center
NOAA 27-Day Space Weather Forecasts
  fun to read, but should be taken with a grain of salt! Forecasts looking ahead more than a few days are often wrong.
Aurora 30 min forecast
  from the NOAA Space Environment Center
Live Aurora Webcam
  from Lights over Lapland
Heliophysics
  the underlying science of space weather

To get the best views of the cosmos, check out the Phoenix Window Glass Replacement experts for all your window and glass needs

To get an up close view of the heavenly bodies surrounding Earth, think about selling your junk car for cash and buying a high quality telescope.
Spaceweather.com welcomes these supporters of science communication: RV Sales and Arizona SEO and Arizona Business Directory and C8 Corvette | Phoenix Personal Injury Lawyer | Phoenix SEO
NASA Near Earth Asteroid Home Page

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