 | | | Switch to: Europe, USA, New Zealand, Antarctica Credit: NOAA/Ovation  Planetary K-index
Now: Kp= 0 quiet
24-hr max: Kp= 3 quiet
explanation | more data
Interplanetary Mag. Field
Btotal: 6.7 nT
Bz: 0.9 nT north
more data: ACE, DSCOVR
Updated: Today at 2345 UT Coronal Holes: 20 Mar 22 
Solar wind flowing from this southern coronal hole could graze Earth's magnetic field on March 22. Credit: SDO/AIA  Noctilucent Clouds
The southern season for noctilucent clouds is over. It ended on Feb. 20, 2022, concluding the weakest NLC season in 14 years. The northern season will begin in late May.. Switch view: Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula, East Antarctica, Polar Updated at: SPACE WEATHER
NOAA Forecasts | | Updated at: 2022 Mar 20 2200 UTC FLARE | 0-24 hr | 24-48 hr | CLASS M | 10 % | 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: 2022 Mar 20 2200 UTC Mid-latitudes | 0-24 hr | 24-48 hr | ACTIVE | 30 % | 15 % | MINOR | 10 % | 05 % | SEVERE | 01 % | 01 % | High latitudes | 0-24 hr | 24-48 hr | ACTIVE | 15 % | 15 % | MINOR | 25 % | 25 % | SEVERE | 40 % | 25 % | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | Lights Over Lapland has a full catalogue of exciting adventures in Abisko National Park, Sweden! Check out our daytime and evening activities and book your adventure! | | | MAGNETIC FILAMENT ERUPTION: A filament of magnetism in the sun's northern hemisphere (N16E10) erupted this morning, March 20th at 0745 UT: movie. The explosion produced a C4-class solar flare, caused a Type II solar radio burst, and sent a shock wave racing through the sun's corona. Explosions with these characteristics usually produce a CME as well. Confirmation awaits fresh data from SOHO coronagraphs. Aurora alerts: SMS Text. THE FIRST AURORAS OF SPRING: Today is the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. In Alaska, the season began with an outburst of green. "Happy Equinox, everyone!" says Todd Salat who sends this picture from Broad Pass in the Alaska Range: 
"Auroras kicked in just after local midnight (08:00 UTC) at the very beginning of the Spring Equinox," says Salat. "A lunar halo rising over the mountains added spice and balance." The display was caused by a passing CME. The storm cloud did not actually hit Earth. However, NOAA's DSCOVR spacecraft detected ripples of magnetism from the near miss. Those ripples touched Earth's magnetosphere and sparked the display. Aurora alerts: SMS Text. Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter AURORA PAREIDOLIA: Eyewitnesses are still marveling at the geomagnetic storm of March 13th when a CME impact sparked bright auroras over northern Europe. "It was an all-mighty display--one of the best I've ever seen," says Sebastian Sainio of Helsingby, Finland. During the storm he experienced an episode of aurora pareidolia: 
"The auroras overhead took the shape of a raven in flight, with its head and round-edged left wing in the center of the image," says Sainio. Pareidolia is the human tendency to see familiar shapes in random patterns. Usually it happens when you look at a cloud. In this case, it was the aurora borealis. "The auroras overhead took shapes that made my imagination run wild--one after another," he says. "They flickered with speeds that where almost like geomagnetic lightning." A marvelous night, indeed. Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
STERLING SILVER DOLPHIN PENDANT: On Feb. 28, 2022, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched a cosmic ray research balloon. This sterling silver dolphin hitched a ride, flying 111,101 feet above the Sierra Nevada mountains of Central California: 
You can have it for $142.95. Leaping through blue crystal waves, the playful cetacean is 100% 925 sterling silver. It comes with a matching 18-inch sterling silver chain The entire pendant is lead-free, nickel-free, cadmium-free, and totally hypoallergenic. Each pendant comes with a greeting card showing the dolphin in flight, and telling the story of its trip to the edge of space and back again. All sales support the student's cosmic ray research program. Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
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 Mar 20, 2022, the network reported 4 fireballs.
(4 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] 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 March 20, 2022 there were 2271 potentially hazardous asteroids.
 | Recent & Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters: | Asteroid | Date(UT) | Miss Distance | Velocity (km/s) | Diameter (m) | | 2022 FA | 2022-Mar-15 | 0.5 LD | 10.2 | 14 | | 2022 ED4 | 2022-Mar-15 | 2.1 LD | 17 | 17 | | 2022 DP3 | 2022-Mar-15 | 3 LD | 10.8 | 41 | | 2022 EG3 | 2022-Mar-15 | 13.7 LD | 6.5 | 8 | | 2022 FB | 2022-Mar-16 | 2.3 LD | 8.2 | 17 | | 2022 EF4 | 2022-Mar-16 | 6.9 LD | 12.1 | 26 | | 2019 PH1 | 2022-Mar-17 | 12.3 LD | 15.9 | 37 | | 2022 EU6 | 2022-Mar-17 | 7.7 LD | 23.2 | 34 | | 2022 EM6 | 2022-Mar-17 | 7.5 LD | 23.2 | 36 | | 2022 EL6 | 2022-Mar-17 | 5.4 LD | 18.9 | 35 | | 2022 EU3 | 2022-Mar-17 | 14.2 LD | 5 | 14 | | 2022 DB2 | 2022-Mar-18 | 10.9 LD | 8.6 | 52 | | 2016 FZ12 | 2022-Mar-19 | 2.2 LD | 8.3 | 16 | | 2022 DX | 2022-Mar-19 | 8.5 LD | 1.5 | 8 | | 2022 ER5 | 2022-Mar-20 | 2.1 LD | 12.3 | 26 | | 2022 EQ6 | 2022-Mar-20 | 7.6 LD | 9 | 21 | | 2022 EE4 | 2022-Mar-21 | 18.1 LD | 16.9 | 32 | | 2022 DG3 | 2022-Mar-21 | 18.3 LD | 7.2 | 37 | | 2020 SQ | 2022-Mar-21 | 2.8 LD | 6 | 12 | | 2022 EA5 | 2022-Mar-23 | 14.9 LD | 8 | 19 | | 2013 BO76 | 2022-Mar-24 | 13.3 LD | 13.8 | 271 | | 2011 GE3 | 2022-Mar-26 | 7.6 LD | 7 | 22 | | 2012 FX35 | 2022-Mar-26 | 13.7 LD | 5.9 | 25 | | 2022 EL5 | 2022-Mar-29 | 7.1 LD | 3 | 12 | | 2010 GD35 | 2022-Mar-29 | 17.7 LD | 12.5 | 43 | | 2020 FW5 | 2022-Mar-30 | 8.9 LD | 13.1 | 27 | | 2022 EK1 | 2022-Mar-30 | 19 LD | 7.6 | 43 | | 2022 DX4 | 2022-Mar-31 | 16.7 LD | 6 | 38 | | 2007 FF1 | 2022-Apr-01 | 19.4 LD | 12.8 | 155 | | 2021 GN1 | 2022-Apr-02 | 14.4 LD | 14.3 | 19 | | 2016 GW221 | 2022-Apr-02 | 9.8 LD | 5.9 | 41 | | 2022 EN2 | 2022-Apr-04 | 18.7 LD | 5.6 | 41 | | 2012 TV | 2022-Apr-05 | 19.2 LD | 18.1 | 32 | | 2020 GH1 | 2022-Apr-09 | 16.8 LD | 7.2 | 28 | | 2017 TO2 | 2022-Apr-10 | 17.9 LD | 11.6 | 78 | | 363599 | 2022-Apr-12 | 19.3 LD | 24.5 | 221 | | 2020 TQ6 | 2022-Apr-18 | 13.4 LD | 15.4 | 43 | | 2017 UR2 | 2022-Apr-22 | 19.4 LD | 9.3 | 10 | | 2020 VN1 | 2022-Apr-25 | 19.3 LD | 2.3 | 9 | | 418135 | 2022-Apr-28 | 8.5 LD | 10.4 | 443 | | 2017 XO2 | 2022-May-01 | 18.8 LD | 12.4 | 118 | | 2017 HG1 | 2022-May-04 | 18.2 LD | 6 | 11 | | 467460 | 2022-May-09 | 14.9 LD | 11.3 | 513 | | 2019 JE | 2022-May-11 | 4.9 LD | 7.2 | 20 | | 2012 UX68 | 2022-May-15 | 2.8 LD | 8.2 | 54 | | 388945 | 2022-May-15 | 15 LD | 8.2 | 287 | | 2013 UX | 2022-May-17 | 16.8 LD | 16.3 | 141 | | 2021 WY | 2022-May-18 | 16.9 LD | 9 | 65 | 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. | | 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 (Nov. 2021): Our balloons have just measured a sudden drop in atmospheric radiation. It happened during the strong geomagnetic storms of Nov. 3-4, 2021. Here are the data: 
This is called a "Forbush decrease," named after American physicist Scott Forbush who studied cosmic rays in the early 20th century. It happens when a CME from the sun sweeps past Earth and literally pushes cosmic rays away from our planet. Radiation from deep space that would normally pepper Earth's upper atmosphere is briefly wiped out. We have measured Forbush decreases before. For example, here's one from Sept. 2014. The Forbush Decrease of Nov. 3-4, 2021, was the deepest in the history of our 7-year atmospheric monitoring program. Radiation levels in the stratosphere over California dropped nearly 20%, more than doubling the previous record from our dataset. En route to the stratosphere, our sensors also pass through aviation altitudes, so we can sample radiation where planes fly. This plot shows how the Forbush decrease was restricted to the stratosphere; it did not affect lower levels of the atmosphere: 
The dose rates shown above are expressed as multiples of sea level. For instance, we see that boarding a plane that flies at 25,000 feet exposes passengers to dose rates ~10x higher than sea level. At 40,000 feet, the multiplier is closer to 50x. The higher you fly, the more radiation you will absorb. .Who cares? Cosmic rays are a surprisingly "down to Earth" form of space weather. They can seed clouds, 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. Somewhat more controversial studies (#1, #2, #3, #4) link 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 first graph ("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 | | | 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 |  | Going above and beyond to provide the best homes listings in the Comox real estate market to keep you up to date and informed | | BestCSGOGambling is the best site for everything related to CSGO gambling on the web | | To find reviews of new online casino sites in the UK try The Casino DB where there are hundreds of online casino reviews complete with bonuses and ratings. Alternatively, Online-Casinos.xyz is another massive directory of online casinos listing sites for the UK and Worldwide. Casinos that offer Rupees for bonuses are very generous to Indian players. Find the best online casinos in India at AllCasinos.in Looking for a new online casino? Try Casimpo the new site dedicated to making online casino simple, or check out the new Avenger Slots Casino and Ace Online Casino with over 500 online slots and casino games. | | One of the most popular casino games is the Book Of Dead Slot based on ancient Egyptian text, you can find all the casinos with spins at bookofdeadslotsites.com. | | 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. | | Looking for sports betting companies not registered on GamStop? CasinoGap has presented a list of sites not on GamStop available for UK players. Check and bet online! Would you like to bet at sites not using GamStop? Look at a list of NonStopCasino sites for online betting that aren't on GamStop. Top-rated bookmakers ever! | | | 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. | |
