SUNSPOT GENESIS: A new sunspot is emerging in the sun's southern hemisphere, right here. So far it is small and quiet, posing no threat for strong flares. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
THE AFTERPARTY: Yesterday, as a G1-class geomagnetic storm was subsiding, we announced "the party is over." Okay. "This must be the afterparty," says Markus Varik of Tromsø, Norway, who witnessed a fabulous outburst hours later:
"I have never seen auroras with such incredible shapes before, even after more than 1000 nights of observing," says Varik. "It rocked our socks off."
The display really did occur after the storm was over. Solar wind speeds had ebbed and auroras were dimming when, suddenly, a tremor swept through Earth's magnetic field. Stuart Green's magnetometer in Preston, UK, captured the event (note the red arrow):
"I wasn't expecting that at all," says Green. "It appears to have been short-lived, almost like an impulse."
"The outburst occured around 2200 UT--a good match for the tremor Green detected," confirms Varik.
Inspecting data from the DSCOVR spacecraft reveals what happened. The interplanetary magnetic field tipped south, opening a shortlived crack in Earth's magnetosphere. Solar wind rushed through the "storm door," rattling Earth's magnetic field and sparking the afterparty display. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
AN AREA OF INTEREST ON THE SUN: A small sunspot emerging near the sun's southeastern limb may be more interesting than it looks. This image from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory shows why:
The sunspot is breaking through the sun's surface right next to a dark magnetic filament. Rapid evolution of the sunspot could de-stabilize the region, causing the filament to erupt. Amateur astronomers with safely-filtered telescopes are encouraged to monitor developments.
Realtime Spaceweather Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
VALENTINE'S GIFTS FROM THE EDGE OF SPACE: Does someone in your life love space? Shop the Earth to Sky Store for their perfect Valentine's gift. All items in the store have flown to the stratosphere on board cosmic ray research balloons--and from now until Feb. 14th, everything is 10% off:
Each purchase comes with a greeting card showing the item in flight and telling the story of its journey to the stratosphere and back again. Don't forget to enter the coupon code "ILOVESPACE" for your Valentine's discount!
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
Realtime Spaceweather Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter