SpaceWeather.com Archive — Thu, Feb 1, 2024

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THE FORECAST CALLS FOR QUIET: A CME expected to graze Earth yesterday missed. This sets the stage for 24 hours of quiet. No CMEs are currently heading for Earth, and every sunspot on the solar disk is stable and unlikely to explode. CME impact alerts: SMS Text

THE SUN EXPLODED A LOT LAST MONTH: "This composite image shows the 10 strongest solar flares of January 2024," says Senol Sanli of Bursa, Turkey. "I created it using data from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory."

Clearly, the sun was active last month--even hyperactive for a few days. But as Sanli's composite shows, many of the strongest flares were located on the sun's limb, not Earth-directed. This is why our planet experienced no strong geomagnetic storms despite the explosions. We were not in the line of fire.

The sun's poor shooting is unlikely to continue. Solar Maximum is coming, perhaps later this year, with many more solar flares and CMEs in the offing. The odds favor some direct hits in the months ahead, so stay tuned. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text

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"LOVE IS IN THE AIR" SNOOPY FIGURINE: Are you looking for a far-out Valentine's gift? Consider "Love is in the Air." This hand-painted Snoopy figurine flew to the stratosphere on Jan. 30, 2024, floating 112,505 feet high onboard an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray research balloon:

You can have it for $159.95. "Love is in the Air" combines classic Peanuts characters with folk art designs by award-winning artist Jim Shore. Intricate styling and attention to detail make the figurine a fantastic gift for any romantic occasion. It comes with a gift card showing Snoopy at the edge of space and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space.