SpaceWeather.com Archive — Sat, Jul 27, 2024

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GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH (G2): At least one CME is heading for Earth following a series of solar flares on July 27th (described below). Forecast models are still preliminary, in part because multiple CMEs have emerged and must be untangled for proper modeling. NOAA forecasters are predicting a G2-class geomagnetic storm on July 30th when the first of the storm clouds arrive. CME impact alerts: SMS Tex t

MORE CMEs ARE COMING: Today has been a busy day on the sun. Sunspots AR3762 and AR3766 produced a series of M-class solar flares, shown here in an interest-compressed movie from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory:

Radiation from these flares ionized the top of Earth's atmosphere, causing a rolling series of shortwave radio blackouts around all longitudes of our planet. Ham radio operators may have noticed loss of signal below 30 MHz particularly around 0230 UT, 0545 UT and 1040 UT.

Debris from these explosions may strike Earth in a few days. Coronagraphs onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) recorded a mash-up of at least two halo CMEs emerging from the sun:

Because of recent activity on the farside of the sun, we cannot rule out the possibility that one of the clouds pictured above is a backside event heading away from Earth. However, confidence is high that the first and brightest CME in the movie is associated with an M4 flare from AR3766 and, thus, has an Earth-directed component. A NASA model suggests it will strike Earth during the early hours of July 30th. The impact could cause a G1 to G2-class geomagnetic storm.

Stay tuned for updates as the forecast is refined by further modeling. Solar flare alerts: SMS Tex t

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WOLF MOON PENDANT: Are you looking for a far out gift? Consider the Wolf Moon Pendant. This On July 8, 2024, it flew to the stratosphere onboard an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray research balloon:

You can have it for $99.95. For 3 hours, the necklace floated 106,444 feet above the Sierra Nevada mountains of central California while radiation sensors inside the balloon's payload gathered data for the students' cosmic ray monitoring project. It comes with a greeting card showing the pendant in flight and explaining the Earth to Sky Calculus radiation experiment.

The students of Earth to Sky Calculus are selling space jewelry to support their cosmic ray ballooning program. Don't wait for Christmas--get yours now!