 | | | Switch to: Europe, USA, New Zealand, Antarctica Credit: NOAA/Ovation  Planetary K-index
Now: Kp= 1.33 quiet
24-hr max: Kp= 2.67 quiet
explanation | more data
Interplanetary Mag. Field
Btotal: 3.87 nT
Bz: 1.81 nT north
more data: ACE, DSCOVR
Updated: Today at 1146 UT Coronal Holes: 15 Nov 23 
There are no significant coronal holes on the Earthside of the sun. Credit: SDO/AIA  Noctilucent Clouds
The northern season for NLCs began on May 26th. The first clouds were detected inside the Arctic Circle by the NOAA 21 satellite. An instrument onboard NOAA 21 (OMPS LP) is able to detect NLCs (also known as "polar mesospheric clouds" or PMCs). For the rest of the season, daily maps from NOAA 21 will be presented here:
Updated: Aug. 29, 2023
Each dot is a detected cloud. As the season progresses, these dots will multiply in number and shift in hue from blue to red as the brightness of the clouds intensifies.
What happened to NASA's AIM spacecraft, which has been monitoring NLCs since 2007? Earlier this year, the spacecraft's battery failed. As a result AIM is offline, perhaps permanently. There may be some hope of a recovery as AIM's orbit precesses into full sunlight in 2024. Until then, we will maintain AIM's iconic "daily daisy," frozen at Feb. 28, 2023, as a show of thanks for years of service and hope for future daisies:  | | | Switch view:Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula, East Antarctica, Polar Updated Nov16 SPACE WEATHER
NOAA Forecasts | | Updated at: 2023 Nov 16 2200 UTC FLARE | 0-24 hr | 24-48 hr | CLASS M | 15 % | 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: 2023 Nov 16 2200 UTC Mid-latitudes | 0-24 hr | 24-48 hr | ACTIVE | 15 % | 10 % | MINOR | 05 % | 01 % | SEVERE | 01 % | 01 % | High latitudes | 0-24 hr | 24-48 hr | ACTIVE | 15 % | 15 % | MINOR | 20 % | 15 % | SEVERE | 20 % | 10 % | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | This is an AI Free Zone! Text created by ChatGPT and other Large Language Models is spreading rapidly across the Internet. It's well-written, artificial, frequently inaccurate. If you find a mistake on Spaceweather.com, rest assured it was made by a real human being. | | | ASTEROID TO OCCULT BETELGEUSE: Next month, main-belt asteroid 319 Leona will pass directly in front of Betelgeuse, allowing astronomers to make a crude map of the star's surface. The occultation will be visible on Dec. 12th within a narrow corridor stretching from central Asia and southern Europe to Florida and Mexico. Data from the occultation may help theorists better predict when the famously unstable star will finally explode. Full story and observing tips. MAJOR CRYOVOLCANIC OUTBURST: Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks just experienced its biggest outburst yet. On Nov. 14th the cryovolcanic comet abruptly brightened more than 100-fold all the way to magnitude +9.3. Retired biology professor and now-amateur astronomer Eliot Herman has been monitoring the comet almost every night, and he caught the latest eruption hours after it began (lower right): 
"There have now been four major outbursts by this comet in 2023: July 20th, Oct. 5th, Nov. 1st, and now Nov. 14th--a trend that looks to be more frequent activity," says Herman. Astronomers have long known that Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is unstable. Discovered in 1812 by Pons, and discovered again in 1883 by Brooks, it visits the inner solar system every 71 years. Since the 19th century at least seven significant outbursts have been observed. 2023 is on pace to match that number in one year alone. This comet has been widely reported in the news as the 'devil comet' due to a pair of devil-like horns that appeared during three prior outbursts. This time might be different. "There is no sign of any dark lane in the coma," reports Nick James, Director of the Comet Section of the British Astronomical Association, who took this picture on Nov. 15th: 
"The [comet's atmosphere] seems perfectly circular this time," he says. Richard Miles of the British Astronomical Association thinks 12P may be one of 10 to 20 known comets with active ice volcanoes. The “magma” is a cold mixture of liquid hydrocarbons and dissolved gasses, all trapped beneath a surface which has the consistency of wax. These bottled-up volatiles can explode when sunlight opens a fissure. Amateur astronomers are encouraged to monitor developments. Comet 12P is currently in the constellation Hercules not far from the bright star Vega. Will the devil's horns reappear? Submit your photos here.
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD STOCKING STUFFER: This Christmas stocking stuffer has touched space. Make it Soap! Scented like Earl Grey tea, this bar of soap flew 117,749 feet above the snow-capped Sierra Nevada Mountains of central California onboard an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray balloon:
You can have it for $49.95. The students of Earth to Sky are selling space soap to support their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each bar comes with a greeting card showing the soap in flight and telling the story of its journey to the stratosphere and back again. Spock soap is available, too! Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
Realtime Comet Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter 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 Nov 14, 2023, the network reported 21 fireballs.
(16 sporadics, 3 Northern Taurids, 2 Leonids)  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] 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 November 16, 2023 there were 2349 potentially hazardous asteroids.
| Recent & Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters: | Asteroid | Date(UT) | Miss Distance | Velocity (km/s) | Diameter (m) | | 2023 VY3 | 2023-Nov-11 | 3.5 LD | 16.1 | 11 | | 2023 VD1 | 2023-Nov-11 | 17.1 LD | 10 | 35 | | 2023 VQ5 | 2023-Nov-11 | 3.5 LD | 6.8 | 10 | | 2023 VL2 | 2023-Nov-11 | 2.7 LD | 5.9 | 8 | | 2023 VK3 | 2023-Nov-11 | 7.4 LD | 3.7 | 8 | | 2023 VU4 | 2023-Nov-11 | 12.4 LD | 5.3 | 18 | | 2023 UQ4 | 2023-Nov-11 | 10.7 LD | 8.4 | 39 | | 2023 VF3 | 2023-Nov-12 | 8.9 LD | 9 | 19 | | 2023 VK9 | 2023-Nov-12 | 7.2 LD | 12.7 | 19 | | 2023 VV7 | 2023-Nov-12 | 5.9 LD | 7 | 17 | | 2023 VR3 | 2023-Nov-12 | 5.9 LD | 7.7 | 18 | | 2023 VK1 | 2023-Nov-12 | 10.1 LD | 9.1 | 26 | | 2023 VN7 | 2023-Nov-12 | 5.7 LD | 4.9 | 29 | | 2023 TZ2 | 2023-Nov-12 | 19 LD | 2.8 | 24 | | 2023 VY1 | 2023-Nov-13 | 8.9 LD | 6.3 | 36 | | 2023 VG7 | 2023-Nov-13 | 4.9 LD | 10 | 9 | | 2014 BA3 | 2023-Nov-13 | 15.7 LD | 2.7 | 8 | | 2023 VQ7 | 2023-Nov-13 | 5.8 LD | 12.3 | 36 | | 2023 VV1 | 2023-Nov-13 | 2 LD | 3.7 | 6 | | 2023 VP4 | 2023-Nov-13 | 3 LD | 5.7 | 7 | | 2023 VX | 2023-Nov-13 | 17.4 LD | 11.1 | 53 | | 2023 VR4 | 2023-Nov-14 | 17.9 LD | 10.5 | 90 | | 2023 UO | 2023-Nov-15 | 6.4 LD | 6.8 | 35 | | 2023 VL6 | 2023-Nov-15 | 8.8 LD | 5.1 | 17 | | 2023 VE10 | 2023-Nov-15 | 19.5 LD | 8 | 31 | | 2021 TN3 | 2023-Nov-15 | 17 LD | 6.3 | 31 | | 2019 VL5 | 2023-Nov-16 | 8.5 LD | 8.2 | 24 | | 2023 VG5 | 2023-Nov-17 | 5.7 LD | 23.3 | 26 | | 2023 VX4 | 2023-Nov-17 | 7 LD | 3.9 | 11 | | 2023 VX7 | 2023-Nov-17 | 2.5 LD | 10.8 | 14 | | 2023 VK4 | 2023-Nov-17 | 12.3 LD | 11.9 | 24 | | 2023 VR9 | 2023-Nov-17 | 3.3 LD | 7.7 | 11 | | 2023 VW7 | 2023-Nov-17 | 7.3 LD | 10.1 | 19 | | 2019 LB1 | 2023-Nov-18 | 15.8 LD | 4.2 | 14 | | 2016 DK1 | 2023-Nov-19 | 5.3 LD | 6.8 | 12 | | 2023 VY7 | 2023-Nov-19 | 19.7 LD | 13.7 | 78 | | 2023 VT7 | 2023-Nov-19 | 15 LD | 10.6 | 56 | | 2022 VR1 | 2023-Nov-19 | 8.1 LD | 6.1 | 39 | | 2023 VB10 | 2023-Nov-19 | 14.1 LD | 11.3 | 21 | | 2023 VE7 | 2023-Nov-20 | 14.1 LD | 19.7 | 39 | | 2023 VE4 | 2023-Nov-20 | 13.3 LD | 11.6 | 38 | | 2023 VW5 | 2023-Nov-21 | 4.4 LD | 11.2 | 30 | | 2023 VC7 | 2023-Nov-23 | 10.6 LD | 8.1 | 23 | | 2023 VH6 | 2023-Nov-23 | 6.8 LD | 7.3 | 28 | | 2019 UT6 | 2023-Nov-24 | 9 LD | 13.2 | 141 | | 2019 CZ2 | 2023-Nov-25 | 2.8 LD | 5.8 | 44 | | 2023 VH5 | 2023-Nov-25 | 17.9 LD | 9 | 32 | | 2023 VM1 | 2023-Nov-26 | 10.9 LD | 8.9 | 43 | | 2013 UB3 | 2023-Nov-27 | 18.5 LD | 5.4 | 25 | | 2023 VR5 | 2023-Nov-28 | 5.3 LD | 3 | 11 | | 2023 VY8 | 2023-Nov-29 | 17 LD | 19.8 | 29 | | 2023 VM7 | 2023-Dec-01 | 6.4 LD | 3.2 | 11 | | 1998 WB2 | 2023-Dec-03 | 11 LD | 14.2 | 151 | | 2013 VX4 | 2023-Dec-04 | 5.1 LD | 6.6 | 60 | | 2023 TB27 | 2023-Dec-06 | 17 LD | 4.3 | 44 | | 139622 | 2023-Dec-06 | 14.4 LD | 6.7 | 719 | | 2020 HX3 | 2023-Dec-10 | 9.8 LD | 15.7 | 13 | | 2010 XF3 | 2023-Dec-11 | 19.4 LD | 4 | 46 | | 2016 XD2 | 2023-Dec-19 | 18.7 LD | 6.9 | 59 | | 341843 | 2023-Dec-20 | 16.5 LD | 5.3 | 344 | | 2018 YJ2 | 2023-Dec-21 | 18.4 LD | 13.1 | 154 | | 2022 YG | 2023-Dec-22 | 10.8 LD | 5.1 | 17 | | 2023 VD6 | 2023-Dec-23 | 10.6 LD | 15.5 | 167 | | 2020 YO3 | 2023-Dec-23 | 3.6 LD | 16.6 | 42 | | 2010 UE51 | 2023-Dec-24 | 9 LD | 1.3 | 7 | | 2020 YR2 | 2023-Dec-25 | 13.8 LD | 8 | 8 | | 2021 AM6 | 2023-Dec-31 | 18.3 LD | 6.6 | 17 | | 2019 KK5 | 2024-Jan-03 | 10.6 LD | 20.9 | 98 | | 2002 AY1 | 2024-Jan-08 | 15.2 LD | 17.3 | 230 | | 2020 AC1 | 2024-Jan-11 | 19.3 LD | 5.3 | 7 | 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. | | The official U.S. government space weather bureau | | | The first place to look for information about sundogs, pillars, rainbows and related phenomena. | | | Researchers call it a "Hubble for the sun." SDO is the most advanced solar observatory ever. | | | 3D views of the sun from NASA's Solar and Terrestrial Relations Observatory | | | Realtime and archival images of the Sun from SOHO. | | | information about sunspots based on the latest NOAA/USAF Active Region Summary | | | current counts of failed and deployed Starlink satellites from Jonathan's Space Page | | | Authoritative predictions of space junk and satellite re-entries | | | from the NOAA Space Environment Center | | | fun to read, but should be taken with a grain of salt! Forecasts looking ahead more than a few days are often wrong. | | | from the NOAA Space Environment Center | | | the underlying science of space weather |  | When looking for casinos to play online when the weather is bad, you can try casino online trucchi for Italian games. If you are not from Finland you can try the Swedish page Svenska casino online to find suitable games, check out svenskacasinoonline.net. Always check your local laws before playing with real money. | | BestCSGOGambling is the best site for everything related to CSGO gambling on the web | | | These links help Spaceweather.com stay online. Thank you to our supporters! | | | | | | | | |  | | |  | ©2021 Spaceweather.com. All rights reserved. This site is penned daily by Dr. Tony Phillips. | |
