|
SPACE WEATHER 2009
|
12-31-08 - SUN is blank today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 512.6 km/sec
density: 2.6 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 1726 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
1725 UT Dec31
24-hr: A0
1725 UT Dec31
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 1725 UT
NEW
ENGLAND FIREBALL:
On Dec.
29th, around 9:30 pm EST,
a blue-green fireball
100+ times brighter than
Venus soared over New
England and exploded
colorfully in mid-air.
Onlookers saw the flash
from at least nine US
states:
eye-witness reports.
Dan Linek of North Bay
Shore, New York, was one
of the eye witnesses.
Combining his own
observations with those
of others, he created a
hand-drawn map of
sightings and the
probable location of the
fireball when it
exploded:
 |
12-30-08 - No sunspot today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 326.6 km/sec
density: 18.2 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2245 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
1915 UT Dec30
24-hr: A0
1050 UT Dec30
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 1915 UT
|
12-29-08 - no sunspot today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 295.5 km/sec
density: 0.3 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2246 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2245 UT Dec29
24-hr: A0
2245 UT Dec29
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
ALIGNMENT OF THE
MOON, VENUS AND
JUPITER:
This is a
spectacle that will
repeat itself after
44 long years. So get
ready and don’t miss
the chance to observe
the Moon, Venus and
Jupiter lining up in
the space.
The show begins at
around 4:13 local
time when the moon
will join with
Jupiter and Venus.
But the time is
before the sunset and
therefore the planets
will not be clearly
visible from the
naked eye. So take a
binocular and observe
the event as it takes
place.
By 4:25 pm Venus will
be seen with the
naked eye. However
Jupiter will remain
obscure. 25 minutes
later, as the sky
turns darker, all the
planets will flash
like diamonds.
Another spectacular
thing will take place
during this time. The
dark portion of the
moon reflects the
earthshine. Thus it
will have a faint
glow of a blue and
green shade. Though
this can be observed
with the naked eye, a
binocular will make
it even more
prominent.
This extraordinary
cosmic phenomenon has
already taken place
in the Southern half
of the world. There
the event was more
like a “smiley face”
but in the Northern
half it is expected
to resemble a
“frown”.
The same conjunction
between Jupiter and
Venus will take place
in 2011 and 2012. But
both times the two
planets will not have
the Moon with them.
The next time when
the trio will once
again join together
will be 18th November
of 2052. Now that is
a long time ahead.
Do not wait for that
and just go on the
roof and place your
binocular to the
southwest horizon and
thrill yourself.
There the crescent
Moon and the two
planets will form the
triangle, with Venus
below and Jupiter on
the top of it.
Do not waste any of
the minutes as the
show is speculated to
last for not more
than a couple of
hours. Then the Moon
and the planets will
sink below the
horizon making it
invisible.
However the
visibility is one of
the main problems for
the stargazers. If
the sky is clouded
they are helpless.
But there is not need
to feel sorry for
that. Because you can
observe the event for
the next few days as
the trio will repeat
their show. But of
course it will
not be as bright as
the first day.
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|
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12-28-08 - No sunspot today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 321.3 km/sec
density: 0.5 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2247 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2245 UT Dec28
24-hr: A0
0640 UT Dec28
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
CALIFORNIA
FIREBALL:
A
remarkable fireball blazed
across Califonia on Dec. 27th
around 1:50 am PST. Its brilliant
blue-green light caught the
attention of onlookers (some
inside their homes) all the way
from San Francisco Bay in the
north to the Los Angeles
metropolitan area in the south--a
range of more than 340 miles.
According to one account, the
object exploded with a thunderous
boom, producing a spray of
golden-colored fragments
"It was as if someone had set off
a rescue flare that instantly bathed
the countryside in whitish blue-green
light," reports Grant Bentley of
Bishop, CA. "At one point, the path
of the meteor went behind a
cirrus-stratus cloud that it backlit
in snowy green light. After a
brilliant show of less than three
seconds, it was gone without a trace.
This was easily the most massive
object I have ever seen burning up as
it entered the Earth's atmosphere."

A solar wind stream flowing from the
indicated coronal hole
should arrive
on Dec. 30th or 31st.
Credit: SOHO
Extreme UV Telescope
|
12-27-08 - no sunspots today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 321.3 km/sec
density: 0.5 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2247 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2245 UT Dec28
24-hr: A0
0640 UT Dec28
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
|
12-26-08 - no sunspot today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 426.1 km/sec
density: 0.8 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 0046 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2355 UT Dec25
24-hr: A2
1300 UT Dec25
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2355 UT
LAST
AURORAS OF 2008:
They're
coming, the last auroras of
2008. The source of the
display is a coronal hole
photographed earlier today by
Japan's Hinode spacecraft:

Coronal holes are
places in the sun's
atmosphere where the
sun's magnetic field
opens up and allows
the solar wind to
escape. A stream of
solar wind flowing
from this coronal
hole should reach
Earth on Dec. 30th or
31st. The impact
could light up the
Arctic Circle,
punctuating the year
with aurora borealis.
Although 2008 has
been a year of
remarkably low solar
activity, polar sky
watchers nevertheless
have enjoyed many
good geomagnetic
storms.
Galleries:
January,
February,
March,
April,
May,
June,
July,
August
September,
October,
November,
December.
|
12-25-08 - no sunspot today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 437.0 km/sec
density: 0.9 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2247 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2245 UT Dec25
24-hr: A2
1300 UT Dec25
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
EDGE-ON FOR THE HOLIDAYS:
You look through the
telescope. Blink. Shake
your head and look again.
The planet you expected
to see in the eyepiece is
not the one that's
actually there. Too much
eggnog? No, it's just
Saturn's crazy Christmas
tilt:

Amateur
astronomer
Paulo Casquinha
took the picture
last night from
his backyard
observatory in
Quinta do Anjo,
Portugal. It
shows how
Saturn's rings
are almost
edge-on to Earth
this holiday
season. Viewed
from the side,
the normally wide
and bright rings
have become a
shadowy line
bisecting
Saturn's two
hemispheres--a
scene of rare
beauty.
"Everyone
should
take a look
before the rings
begin to open up
again at the end
of the month,"
says Casquinha. A
nice bonus: When
the rings are
thin, Saturn's
moons become
easier to see.
"Note the
small spot
above the rings
on the right;
that's Rhea."
more
images:
from Masa
Nakamura of
Otawara, Tochigi,
Japan;
from Koshu Endo
of Tokyo Japan
(note: Endo's
video shows an
Earth-orbiting
satellite zipping
by Saturn)
CHRISTMAS PROMINENCE:
So, you
received a
solar telescope for
Christmas? Perfect timing. A
plume of hot gas is
spewing over the northeastern
limb of the sun, beckoning
for attention. Take a look!
photos:
from S. Billings et al of
South Portland, Maine;
from Mike Borman of
Evansville, Indiana;
from Francisco A. Rodriguez
of Gran Canaria, Canary
Islands;
from James Screech of
Bedford, England;
from Peter Desypris of
Athens, Greece;
from Stephen Ames of
Hodgenville, Kentucky; |
12-24-08 no sunspot - a sunspot
developing? No
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 499.4 km/sec
density: 0.7 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2247 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2245 UT Dec24
24-hr: A0
2245 UT Dec24
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
NEW
SUNSPOTS:
This
morning, Dec. 24th,
NASA's STEREO-B
spacecraft photographed a
pair of active regions
emerging in the sun's
southern hemisphere.
Clouds of hot glowing gas
detected by
STEREO's extreme UV
telescope probably mask a
pair of new-cycle
sunspots underneath:

The clouds and
spots are not yet
visible from
Earth. STEREO-B
is stationed over
the sun's eastern
limb where it can
see things up to
three days before
the sun's
rotation turns
them toward our
planet. So,
consider this a
sneak preview.
|
12-23-08 - No sunspot today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 537.5 km/sec
density: 0.5 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2247 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2245 UT Dec23
24-hr: A0
2245 UT Dec23
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
|
12-22-08 - No sunspot today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 422.0 km/sec
density: 4.5 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2246 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
1915 UT Dec22
24-hr: A0
1915 UT Dec22
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
|
12-21-08 - The sun is blank today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 343.6 km/sec
density: 1.8 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 0006 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2350 UT Dec20
24-hr: A0
0050 UT Dec20
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2350 UT
|
12-20-08 - The sun is blank today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 298.7 km/sec
density: 3.5 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 0440 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2310 UT Dec19
24-hr: A0
2310 UT Dec19
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2355 UT
|
12-19-08 - No sunspots today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 326.4 km/sec
density: 2.4 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2247 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2245 UT Dec19
24-hr: A0
0135 UT Dec19
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
RADIO METEORS:
The
Ursid meteor shower
caused by Comet 8P/Tuttle
peaks this year on Dec.
22nd. About a dozen
meteors per hour will fly
out of the Little Dipper
(Ursa Minor) as Earth
passes through the
comet's debris stream.
Watching these northern
meteors can be a chilling
experience, so why not
stay inside and listen to
them instead?
Spaceweather.com is
broadcasting live audio
from the Air Force Space
Surveillance Radar in
Texas. When a meteor
passes over the radar--"ping"--there
is an echo.
Give it a try;
feedback is
welcomed.
|
12-18-08 - No sunspots today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 279.7 km/sec
density: 0.7 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2247 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2245 UT Dec18
24-hr: A0
0725 UT Dec18
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
|
12-17-08 - No sunspots today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 320.3 km/sec
density: 0.3 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2246 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2245 UT Dec17
24-hr: A0
2245 UT Dec17
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
|
12-16-08 - No sunspots today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 357.4 km/sec
density: 2.4 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2247 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2245 UT Dec16
24-hr: A0
2245 UT Dec16
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
SOLAR ACTIVITY:
Hours
ago, something on the far
side of the sun exploded
and hurled a massive
cloud of debris (a CME)
over the eastern limb.
Using a coronagraph to
block the sun's glare,
the Solar and
Heliospheric Observatory
(SOHO) photographed the
cloud expanding into
space:

NASA's Stereo-B
spacecraft is
stationed over
the sun's eastern
limb, but it was
not taking
pictures at the
probable time of
the eruption, so
details of the
blast are
unknown. The CME
could herald an
active region
(e.g., a sunspot
or perhaps an
unstable magnetic
filament) turning
to face Earth in
the days ahead.
Stay tuned for
updates.
A
Giant Breach in
Earth's Magnetic
Field
12.16.2008
Dec. 16,
2008:
NASA's five
THEMIS spacecraft
have discovered a
breach in Earth's
magnetic field
ten times larger
than anything
previously
thought to exist.
Solar wind can
flow in through
the opening to
"load up" the
magnetosphere for
powerful
geomagnetic
storms. But the
breach itself is
not the biggest
surprise.
Researchers are
even more amazed
at the strange
and unexpected
way it forms,
overturning
long-held ideas
of space physics.
"At first I
didn't believe
it," says THEMIS
project scientist
David Sibeck of
the Goddard Space
Flight Center.
"This finding
fundamentally
alters our
understanding of
the solar
wind-magnetosphere
interaction."
The magnetosphere
is a bubble of
magnetism that
surrounds Earth
and protects us
from solar wind.
Exploring the
bubble is a key
goal of the
THEMIS mission,
launched in
February 2007.
The big discovery
came on June 3,
2007, when the
five probes
serendipitously
flew through the
breach just as it
was opening.
Onboard sensors
recorded a
torrent of solar
wind particles
streaming into
the
magnetosphere,
signaling an
event of
unexpected size
and importance.
One of the THEMIS
probes exploring
the space around
Earth, an
artist's concept.
[more]
"The opening was
huge—four times
wider than Earth
itself," says
Wenhui Li, a
space physicist
at the University
of New Hampshire
who has been
analyzing the
data. Li's
colleague Jimmy
Raeder, also of
New Hampshire,
says "1027
particles per
second were
flowing into the
magnetosphere—that's
a 1 followed by
27 zeros. This
kind of influx is
an order of
magnitude greater
than what we
thought was
possible."
The event began
with little
warning when a
gentle gust of
solar wind
delivered a
bundle of
magnetic fields
from the Sun to
Earth. Like an
octopus wrapping
its tentacles
around a big
clam, solar
magnetic fields
draped themselves
around the
magnetosphere and
cracked it open.
The cracking was
accomplished by
means of a
process called
"magnetic
reconnection."
High above
Earth's poles,
solar and
terrestrial
magnetic fields
linked up
(reconnected) to
form conduits for
solar wind.
Conduits over the
Arctic and
Antarctic quickly
expanded; within
minutes they
overlapped over
Earth's equator
to create the
biggest magnetic
breach ever
recorded by
Earth-orbiting
spacecraft.

Above:
A computer model
of solar wind
flowing around
Earth's magnetic
field on June 3,
2007. Background
colors represent
solar wind
density; red is
high density,
blue is low.
Solid black lines
trace the outer
boundaries of
Earth's magnetic
field. Note the
layer of
relatively dense
material beneath
the tips of the
white arrows;
that is solar
wind entering
Earth's magnetic
field through the
breach. Credit:
Jimmy Raeder/UNH.
[larger
image]
The size of the
breach took
researchers by
surprise. "We've
seen things like
this before,"
says Raeder, "but
never on such a
large scale. The
entire day-side
of the
magnetosphere was
open to the solar
wind."
The circumstances
were even more
surprising. Space
physicists have
long believed
that holes in
Earth's
magnetosphere
open only in
response to solar
magnetic fields
that point south.
The great breach
of June 2007,
however, opened
in response to a
solar magnetic
field that
pointed north.
"To the lay
person, this may
sound like a
quibble, but to a
space physicist,
it is almost
seismic," says
Sibeck. "When I
tell my
colleagues, most
react with
skepticism, as if
I'm trying to
convince them
that the sun
rises in the
west."
Here is why they
can't believe
their ears: The
solar wind
presses against
Earth's
magnetosphere
almost directly
above the equator
where our
planet's magnetic
field points
north. Suppose a
bundle of solar
magnetism comes
along, and it
points north,
too. The two
fields should
reinforce one
another,
strengthening
Earth's magnetic
defenses and
slamming the door
shut on the solar
wind. In the
language of space
physics, a
north-pointing
solar magnetic
field is called a
"northern IMF"
and it is
synonymous with
shields up!
"So, you can
imagine our
surprise when a
northern IMF came
along and shields
went down
instead," says
Sibeck. "This
completely
overturns our
understanding of
things."
Northern IMF
events don't
actually trigger
geomagnetic
storms, notes
Raeder, but they
do set the stage
for storms by
loading the
magnetosphere
with plasma. A
loaded
magnetosphere is
primed for
auroras, power
outages, and
other
disturbances that
can result when,
say, a CME
(coronal mass
ejection) hits.
The years ahead
could be
especially
lively. Raeder
explains: "We're
entering Solar
Cycle 24. For
reasons not fully
understood, CMEs
in even-numbered
solar cycles
(like 24) tend to
hit Earth with a
leading edge that
is magnetized
north. Such a CME
should open a
breach and load
the magnetosphere
with plasma just
before the storm
gets underway.
It's the perfect
sequence for a
really big
event."
Sibeck agrees.
"This could
result in
stronger
geomagnetic
storms than we
have seen in many
years."
A video
version of this
story may be
found
here. For
more information
about the THEMIS
mission, visit
http://nasa.gov/themis
|
12-15-08 - No sunspots today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 337.9 km/sec
density: 1.4 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2247 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2245 UT Dec15
24-hr: A0
2245 UT Dec15
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
GREAT
GEMINIDS:
The Geminid meteor
shower peaked over the
weekend and "it was a great
show," says NASA astronomer
Bill Cooke. "On Saturday
night, our all-sky recording
system at the Marshall Space
Flight Center in Alabama
recorded more than 80 bright
Geminids in spite of clouds
and bright moonlight." Click
on the composite image,
below, to launch a 4 MB
movie:

Another NASA camera with
clearer skies in Georgia
recorded even more
meteors including a
rapid-fire flurry of
three at once:
movie. "This could be
one of the best displays
of Geminids we've ever
seen," says Cooke.
Preliminary counts by
the International Meteor
Organization indicate
that the shower peaked at
160 meteors per hour
during the early hours of
Dec. 14th. Earth is now
exiting the Geminid
debris stream and meteor
rates are falling--but
not yet to zero.
Subsiding activity could
continue for several
nights to come:
live updates.
UPDATED:
2008 Geminid Meteor
Gallery
[previous years:
2007,
2006,
2004,
2002,
2001]
|
12-14-08 - No sunspots today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 319.4 km/sec
density: 1.5 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2247 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2245 UT Dec14
24-hr: A0
2245 UT Dec14
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
2008 Geminid Meteor Gallery
[previous years:
2007,
2006,
2004,
2002,
2001]
|
12-13-08 - No sunspots today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 394.0 km/sec
density: 0.9 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2247 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
1915 UT Dec13
24-hr: A0
1915 UT Dec13
explanation |
more data
A's STEREO
spacecraft photographed a coronal
mass ejection
(CME) billowing over
the limb of the sun.

CME MOVIE
http://sungrazer.nrl.navy.mil/images/p2003_sm_short.mov
Now
play it again. Did you
see the comet? It's just
a speck among the stars
and billowing debris; look
for it along this
). It was
discovered in May 2003 by
astronomer Eric Christensen
and then, as sometimes
happens to new comets with
poorly-known orbits, it was
lost again. Comet Christensen
went missing for more than
five years until STEREO found
it again. Spacecraft
(especially SOHO) have
discovered
many comets, but this is
the first time a spacecraft
has recovered one:
full story.
|
12-12-08 - no sunspots today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 427.6 km/sec
density: 2.7 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 1704 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A6
1110 UT Dec12
24-hr: A8
1045 UT Dec12
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 1700 UT
On December 12, 2008 there
were
1010 potentially
hazardous asteroids.
Dec. 2008
Earth-asteroid encounters:
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.
|
12-11-08 - Sunspot 1009 on far
right edge of sun
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 418.1 km/sec
density: 2.6 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2245 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A1
1950 UT Dec11
24-hr: B5
0925 UT Dec11
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
|
|
12-10-08 New sunspot 1009

New-cycle sunspot 1009 is rotating
over the sun's western limb. The spot
is crackling with B-class solar
flares; the explosions could hurl
material over the limb as the sunspot
disappears. Readers, if you have a
solar telescope, keep an eye on
the western limb. Credit: SOHO/MDI
|
12-9-08 - No sunspot today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 400.1 km/sec
density: 0.6 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 0346 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2355 UT Dec08
24-hr: A0
2355 UT Dec08
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2355 UT
AURORA WATCH:
A solar
wind stream is heading
for Earth and it could
spark geomagnetic storms
around the arctic circle
when it arrives on Dec.
11th. High-latitude sky
watchers should
be alert for
auroras.
|
12-8-08 - No sunspots today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 425.1 km/sec
density: 0.6 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2247 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2245 UT Dec08
24-hr: A0
2245 UT Dec08
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT

COLOR-CODED
SUNSPOTS:
According to one leading solar
physicist, the sun is turning blue.
David Hathaway of the NASA Marshall
Space Flight Center is using red and
blue to tag sunspots of the old and
new solar cycles. When he plots the
color-coded sunspot numbers, it's
clear
a change is taking place.
"New Solar Cycle 24 is on the
upswing while old Solar Cycle
23 is decaying," he says. The
sun is still in the pits of a
deep solar minimum, he points
out, but the little blue bars
in Hathaway's plot show that
it won't last forever. An
increasing number of
new-cycle sunspots in the
months ahead should propel
the sun out of the doldrums,
eventually leading to a
full-fledged Solar Max around
2012.
Feeling blue? Now you know
why. Stay tuned for updates
|
12-7-08 No sunspots today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 521.7 km/sec
density: 0.4 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 1854 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
1810 UT Dec07
24-hr: A0
1810 UT Dec07
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 1845 UT
|
12-6-08 There are no sunspots
today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 515.9 km/sec
density: 1.9 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 1226 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
1225 UT Dec06
24-hr: A0
dText">
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 1225 UT
MONSTER PROMINENCE:
Readers, if you have a
solar telescope,
train it on the edge of
the sun. An enormous
filament of plasma is
swirling over the eastern
limb:
SOHO image.
more images:
from Hank Bartlett of
Newburgh, Ontario,
Canada;
from Stephen Ames of
Hodgenville, Kentucky;
from M. Ugro et al.
of South Portland, Maine;
from Roy Golisano of
Milford, New Hampshire
Space Weather News for Dec.
6, 2008
http://spaceweather.com
COLORADO FIREBALL: Last night, a
fireball one hundred times
brighter than the full Moon lit
up the sky near Colorado Springs,
Colorado. Astronomer Chris
Peterson photographed the event
using an all-sky video camera
dedicated to meteor studies. "In
seven years of operation, this is
the brightest fireball I've ever
recorded. I estimate the terminal
explosion at magnitude -18."
Meteors this bright are called
superbolides; they are caused by
small (meter-class) asteroids and
are likely to pepper the ground
with meteorites when they
explode.

- Camera name: Cloudbait (map)
- Camera description:
Cloudbait Observatory
- Camera coordinates:
N38.786111 W105.483611
- Camera altitude: 2768
meters
- Total events for this
site: 15906
- Event time: 2008-12-06
01:06:28 MST
- Image coordinates:
(0.407,0.251) - (0.516,0.179)
- Azimuth: 79.8 - 117.9
- Altitude: - - -
- Approximate duration: 1.0
seconds (28 video frames)
- Fireball: Yes
See
VIDEO
In seven years of operation,
this is the brightest
fireball I've ever recorded,"
says Peterson. "I estimate
the terminal explosion at
magnitude -18, more than 100
times brighter than a full
Moon."
Fireballs this bright
belong to a rare category of
meteors called
superbolides. They are
caused by small asteroids
measuring a few to 10 meters
in diameter and massing
hundreds of metric tons.
Superbolides trigger seismic
detectors on the ground,
produce waves of infrasound
that can travel thousands of
miles, and they are tracked
by military satellites
scanning Earth for nuclear
explosions. Recent examples
include the
El Paso fireball of 1997
and the Slovenian Superbolide
of 2007.
Last night's fireball is
on the low end of the
superbolide scale.
Nevertheless, it was still a
beauty and likely peppered
the ground with meteorites
when it exploded. Sighting
reports are
welcomed; they could help
guide the tracking and
recovery of debris.
LISTEN!
250 miles south of the
fireball, radio astronomer
Thomas Ashcraft of New Mexico
photographed the flash and
recorded radio echoes from
the superbolide's ion trail.
Click here to listen.
|
12-5-08 There are no sunspots today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 426.3 km/sec
density: 1.5 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 1942 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
1945 UT Dec05
24-hr: A0
1945 UT Dec05
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 1945 UT
|
12-4-08 - There are no sunspots today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 383.6 km/sec
density: 1.1 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2245 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2245 UT Dec04
24-hr: A0
2245 UT Dec04
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
GREAT
CONJUNCTION:
Postulate: One moon + two
planets = the sky show of the
year. The proof may be found in
this photo submitted by
Jamie Russell from the United
Kingdom's Isle of Wight:

He opened the shutter of
his
Canon 300D on the
evening of Dec. 1st
moments after Venus
emerged from behind the
Moon. Meanwhile, Jupiter
looked on from above.
Together, the ensemble
beamed down on St.
Catherine's Lighthouse,
built 170 years ago atop
the Niton Undercliffe.
"It was a lovely scene,"
he says.
All around the world,
sky watchers watched with
pleasure as Venus,
Jupiter and the Moon
gathered in one tiny
patch of sky and then
dispersed again. But was
it really the
sky show of the year?
Browse the gallery and
decide for yourself:
GRAND CONJUNCTION PHOTO GALLERY
|
12-03-08 - The sun is blank
today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 450.9 km/sec
density: 1.0 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 0145 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2355 UT Dec03
24-hr: A0
2355 UT Dec03
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2355 UT

Earth is entering a solar wind
stream flowing from the indicated
coronal hole. Credit: SOHO
Extreme UV Telescope
|
12-02-08 No sunspot today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 295.5 km/sec
density: 3.7 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2247 UT
solarWindUpdatedText">
2245 UT Dec02
24-hr: A0
2245 UT Dec02
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
LUNAR OCCULTATION OF
VENUS:
En route to last
night's Great
Conjunction, the Moon ran
right over Venus. The
event, which astronomers
call a "lunar
occultation," happened
directly over Europe
where Romanian
photographer Stanescu
Octavian took this
picture:

I caught Venus just before it
disappeared behind the dark
edge of the Moon," he says.
Venus remained hidden for
more than an hour, then
popped out again to form a
spectacular triangle with
Jupiter and Luna as opposing
vertices. "What a very nice
vision!"
Lunar occultations of
Venus happen about twice a
year. The next two: Feb 28,
2009, over Antarctica and
Apr. 22, 2009, over North
America. The North American
occultation is going to be
good, occuring in a lovely
pre-dawn Spring sky while
Mars hovers nearby. Mark your
calendar.
more images:
from Frank Ryan Jr at The
Burren, Co. Clare, Ireland;
from Erwan Henry of
Saint-Rieul, Brittany,
France;
from Monika Landy-Gyebnar
of Balatonakarattya, Hungary;
from Brian Fitzsimons of
Cavan, Ireland;
from GĂĽnther Strauch of
Borken, NRW, Germany;
from James Canvin of
Cullompton, Devon, UK;
from Wojciech Piskorz of
Gliwice, Poland;
from Claudio Bottari of
Sava, Italy;
from Eddie Guscott of
Corringham, Essex, England;
from John Durston of
Plymouth, UK;
from Martin Campbell of
Dungannon, N.Ireland;
from Elias Chasiotis at
the Valley of the Temples,
Agrigento, Sicily, Italy;
from Guenter Kleinschuster
of Feldbach, Styria, Austria;
from John Fitzsimons of
Sligo, Ireland;
from Luigi Fiorentino of
Bari, Italy;
Great Conjunction Photo Gallery
|
12-01-08 - No sunspot today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 298.9 km/sec
density: 1.4 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2246 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2210 UT Dec01
24-hr: A0
2210 UT Dec01
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT

A solar wind stream flowing from the
indicated coronal hole should reach
Earth on Dec. 3rd or 4th. Credit:
SOHO Extreme UV
Near
Earth Asteroids |
|
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 December 2, 2008 there
were
1002 potentially
hazardous asteroids.
Dec. 2008
Earth-asteroid encounters:
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. |
 |
|
|
11-30-08 - No sunspots today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 363.2 km/sec
density: 1.1 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2247 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2245 UT Nov30
24-hr: A0
2245 UT Nov30
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
During the next 24 hours,
Luna will continue her
approach, converging with
the two planets to form a
spectacular sunset
triangle on Monday, Dec.
1st. The bright 3-way
conjunction will be
visible from all parts of
world, even from
light-polluted cities. So
pause when the sun goes
down and take a look
outside; you'll be glad
you did. Sky
maps:
Nov. 30,
Dec 1.
more images:
from Stephen O'Meara
of Kilauea, Volcano,
Hawaii;
from Brian Kennedy of
Orlando, Florida;
from John Gauvreau of
Binbrook, Ontario,
Canada;
from Stephen McCaul
on the coast of Scotland
overlooking the Isle of
Skye;
from Claudio Bottari
of Locorotondo, Italy;
from Bum-Suk Yeom of
Daejeon, South Korea;
from Mike O'Leary of
San Diego, CA;
from Bill Smith of
Cherry Creek, NY;
from Albert Engert of
WĂĽrzburg, Germany;
from Marion Haligowski
of Phoenix, Arizona;
from Gregg Waldron of
Morristown, NJ;
from Joe Ricci of
Rochester, New York;
from Katy and John
Stetson of Portland,
Maine;
from Adrian Guzman of
San Jose, California;
from Claudio Pincelli
of Southampton,
Massachusetts;
from Thierry Demange
of Erstein, Alsace,
France;
from Martin Mc Kenna
of Maghera, Co. Derry, N.
Ireland;
THE
OTHER CONJUNCTION:
While all
eyes are on Venus and
Jupiter in the evening
sky, another conjunction
is taking place at high
noon. Mars and Mercury
are having a close
encounter of their own
within 3o of
the sun:
|
11-29-08 Sun is blank today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 402.5 km/sec
density: 1.1 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 1806 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
1320 UT Nov29
24-hr: A0
1320 UT Nov29
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 1805 UT

NOT-A-SUNSPOT:
A large,
diffuse magnetic dipole is emerging
in the sun's northern hemisphere:
map. It's too spread out to form
a sunspot, but it may prove
interesting nevertheless. In the
neutral folds of such regions, dark
filaments of plasma are known to form
and sometimes erupt.
SUNSET PLANETS:
When the
sun goes down tonight,
step outside and look
southwest. Venus and
Jupiter are having a
stunning close encounter
in the twilight sky.
Saied Bahrami Nezhad
sends this picture from
the Lut desert near
Kerman, Iran:

"Seeing the planets so
close together was a
dreamy experience," says
Nezhad. And it's about to
get dreamier. On Nov.
30th and Dec. 1st, the
crescent moon will leap
up from the horizon,
joining Jupiter and Venus
in a three-way
conjunction that some
astronomers are calling
"the best sky show of the
year." Don't miss a
single night:
Nov. 28,
29,
30,
Dec 1.
more images:
from Zlatko Pasko of
Stara Pazova, Serbia;
from Patrick Boomer
of Alberta, Canada;
from Jens Hackmann of
Weikersheim, Germany;
from Mahdi Zamani of
Kan, Iran;
from Cindy Safina of
Tsimshatsui, Hong Kong;
from Alan Conrad of
Liverpool,Nova Scotia;
from Jim Werle of
Henderson, Nevada;
from Martin Mc Kenna
of Maghera, Co. Derry, N.
Ireland
|
11-28-08 sun is blank today
- Where did yesterday's sunspot go?
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 480.9 km/sec
density: 1.3 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2247 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2245 UT Nov28
24-hr: A0
2245 UT Nov28
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
|
11-27-08 - A new sunspot forming
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 498.6 km/sec
density: 0.9 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2241 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2245 UT Nov27
24-hr: A0
1105 UT Nov27
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
THANKSGIVING SUN:
This morning
Greg Piepol of Rockville,
Maryland, looked through the
eyepiece of his backyard solar
telescope and observed a very
curious sunspot:

"Happy
Thanksgiving!" says Piepol.
"I must have been thinking
about dinner because when I
did a double-take the turkey
was gone." The real
Thanksgiving sun is
pictured here. A new
sunspot is forming near the
center of the sun's disk but
it has not yet formed a dark
turkey-core. Stay tuned for
updates.
more
images:
from Andy Yeung of Hong
Kong;
from Stephen Ames of
Hodgenville, Kentucky
|
11-26-08 - No sunspot today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 637.3 km/sec
density: 0.5 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2256 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2245 UT Nov26
24-hr: A0
2245 UT Nov26
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
|
11-25-08 The sun is blank today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 514.5 km/sec
density: 7.5 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 0816 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
0815 UT Nov25
24-hr: A0
0815 UT Nov25
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 0815 UT
|
11-24-08 The sun is blank today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 282.8 km/sec
density: 3.0 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2242 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2245 UT Nov24
24-hr: A0
2245 UT Nov24
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
EXPLOSION IN PROGRESS:
An
explosion is underway on
the sun. The source of
the blast lies out of
sight somewhere over the
sun's western limb, but
the ejecta is visible as
it billows into space:

Click to view a 1
MB movie
A
coronagraph
onboard the Solar
and Heliospheric
Observatory
(SOHO) is
monitoring the
progress of the
expanding CME.
The cloud is not
directed at Earth
and should cause
no geomagnetic
activity on our
planet. It is,
however, a
promising "sign
of life" on
the sun. Slowly
but surely, solar
minimum is coming
to an end.
Nov. 2008
Earth-asteroid
encounters:
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.
|
11-23-08 the sun is blank today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 267.5 km/sec
density: 0.6 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2247 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2245 UT Nov23
24-hr: A0
2245 UT Nov23
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT

A solar wind stream flowing from the
indicated coronal hole should reach
Earth late on Nov. 25th or Nov. 26th.
Credit: Hinode X-ray Telescope
Coronal holes are places in the
sun's atmosphere where the magnetic
field opens up and allows solar wind
to escape. In images taken by X-ray
telescopes, such as the one Hinode
uses, coronal holes appear dark
because the hot glowing gas which
would otherwise fill them has spilled
out in the solar wind. A stream of
gas flowing from this particular hole
is heading for Earth. High-latitude
sky watchers should
be alert for auroras when it
arrives on Nov. 25th or 26th.
11-22-08 The sun is blank today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 284.4 km/sec
density: 3.6 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2246 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2245 UT Nov22
24-hr: A0
2245 UT Nov22
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
|
11-21-08 The sun is blank today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 280.2 km/sec
density: 0.9 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2242 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2245 UT Nov21
24-hr: A0
2245 UT Nov21
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
SASKATCHEWAN FIREBALL:
A
brilliant green fireball
startled onlookers across
western Canada on Nov.
20th (5:30 pm MST) when
it split the evening sky
and fragmented during a
series of thunderous
explosions. "The sky was
lit up almost like
daytime for 3 or 4
seconds," reports Gordon Blomgren of Alberta.
Murray McDonnell of
northwestern Saskatchewan
says "my wife and I saw a
brilliant flash of blue
white light, like
lightning. About one
minute later a long
rumbling sound shook the
house."
Andy Bartlett
video-recorded the event
from a 10th-floor
apartment in Edmonton,
Alberta:

Click to play the
video

A screen capture
from an amateur
video sent to
Global Television
Edmonton of a
meteor streaking
across the
southeastern sky
in Edmonton last
Thursday, just
after dusk.
"The brilliant
fireball appeared
to be closer than
the airplane in
the upper right
corner of this
video," says
Bartlett. "I made
the movie using a
Canon A510."
The fireball
was almost
certainly a small
asteroid
disintegrating in
Earth's
atmosphere. A
space rock
measuring a few
to ten meters
wide moving at
typical
local-asteroid
velocities would
account for the
fireball's speed
and brightness.
Reentry of
manmade space
junk has now been
ruled out.
Fragments of the
impactor may have
reached the
ground; if so,
they remain
undiscovered
and/or
unreported.
VIDEO
UPDATE:
A spectacular
video of the
fireball was
recorded by the
dashboard camera
of a police car
on patrol in
Edmonton,
Alberta.
Click to play.
TheStarPhoenix.com
Published: Tuesday,
November 25, 2008
A University of
Calgary investigation
of the fireball that
lit up the skies of
Alberta and
Saskatchewan on
Thursday has determined
that an asteroid
fragment weighing
approximately 10 tonnes
entered the Earth's
atmosphere over the
prairie provinces.
And U of C
researcher Alan
Hildebrand has outlined
a region in western
Saskatchewan where
chunks of the
desk-sized space rock
are expected to be
found.
According to a
press release, the
fireball first appeared
approximately 80
kilometres above and
just east of the border
city of Lloydminster,
Alberta/Saskatchewan,
and traveled
south-southeast towards
the Battle River
Valley, fragmenting
spectacularly in a
series of explosions.
The fireball penetrated
the atmosphere at a
steep angle of
approximately 60
degrees from the
horizontal and lasted
about five seconds from
5:26:40 p.m. to 5:26:45
p.m. MST with the
largest explosion at
5:26:44 p.m
The fireball was
recorded on all-sky and
security cameras
scattered across
Saskatchewan and
Alberta, in addition to
being witnessed by tens
of thousands of people
who saw it streak
across the sky, saw its
arc-welding blue flash,
or heard the subsequent
explosions.
"Firstly, we are
enormously appreciative
of all the people who
have volunteered
information about the
fireball. The public
response to this
fireball has been the
largest that we have
ever had in Canada."
said Hildebrand, Canada
Research chair in
Planetary Science and
co-ordinator of the
Canadian Fireball
Reporting Centre at the
University of Calgary.
Hildebrand said
the fireball was like a
billion-watt lightbulb
shining in the sky,
turning night into day
with a bluish white
light. It illuminated
the ground for several
hundred kilometres in
all directions,
including as far south
as Vauxhall, Alberta.
"Thanks to
everyone's help we are
now beginning to
delineate the
trajectory of the
fireball, so that its
prefall orbit can be
determined. We have
also outlined an area
where its meteorites
may have fallen,
although we will have
more precise
predictions to come,"
Hildebrand added.
©
The StarPhoenix 2008
11-29-08
Scientists find asteroid
debris
Canadian scientists say
they have located debris from a
10-ton asteroid that exploded
in the skies over Canada's
Prairie provinces earlier this
month.
Dr. Alan Hildebrand and
graduate student Ellen Milley
found several fragments late
Thursday near the
Alberta-Saskatchewan border.
They are searching for
what they say could be
thousands of fragments strewn
over a 20-square-kilometer
(seven-square-mile) area near
the Battle River.
Residents of Manitoba,
Saskatchewan and Alberta were
delighted by the huge fireball
that lit up the night sky on
November 20.
Solar Wind Rips Up
Martian Atmosphere
11.21.2008
Nov. 21, 2008:
Researchers have found new
evidence that the atmosphere of
Mars is being stripped away by
solar wind. It's not a gently
continuous erosion, but rather a
ripping process in which chunks
of Martian air detach themselves
from the planet and tumble into
deep space. This surprising
mechanism could help solve a
longstanding mystery about the
Red Planet.
"It helps explain why Mars has so
little air," says David Brain of
UC Berkeley, who presented the
findings at the 2008 Huntsville
Plasma Workshop on October 27th.

Billions of years ago, Mars had a
lot more air than it does today.
(Note: Martian "air" is primarily
carbon dioxide, not the
nitrogen-oxygen mix we breathe on
Earth.) Ancient martian lake-beds
and river channels tell the tale
of a planet covered by abundant
water and wrapped in an
atmosphere thick enough to
prevent that water from
evaporating into space. Some
researchers believe the
atmosphere of Mars was once as
thick as Earth's. Today, however,
all those lakes and rivers are
dry and the atmospheric pressure
on Mars is only 1% that of Earth
at sea-level. A cup of water
placed almost anywhere on the
Martian surface would quickly and
violently boil away—a result of
the super-low air pressure.
Above: An
artist's concept of ancient Mars
with abundant air and water. [Larger
image]
So where did the air go?
Researchers entertain several
possibilities: An asteroid
hitting Mars long ago might have
blown away a portion of the
planet's atmosphere in a single
violent upheaval. Or the loss
might have been slow and gradual,
the result of billions of years
of relentless "sand-blasting" by
solar wind particles. Or both
mechanisms could be at work.
NOTE: The Chinese recorded
watching Venus go past Mars and
rip it's atmosphere off - so
there is a discrepancy between
what science is telling us and
what the Chinese reported.
Brain has uncovered a new
possibility--a daily ripping
process intermediate between the
great cataclysm and slow erosion
models. The evidence comes from
NASA's now-retired Mars Global
Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft.
In 1998, MGS discovered that Mars
has a very strange magnetic
field. Instead of a global
bubble, like Earth's, the Martian
field is in the form of magnetic
umbrellas that sprout out of the
ground and reach beyond the top
of Mars' atmosphere. These
umbrellas number in the dozens
and they cover about 40% of the
planet’s surface, mainly in the
southern hemisphere.
For years, researchers thought
the umbrellas protected the
Martian atmosphere, shielding
pockets of air beneath them from
erosion by the solar wind.
Surprisingly, Brain finds that
the opposite can be true as well:
"The umbrellas are where coherent
chunks of air are torn away."

Above: Solar
wind blowing against Mars tears
atmosphere-filled plasmoids from
the tops of magnetic umbrellas.
Credit: Graphic artist Steve
Bartlett. [Larger
image]
Addressing his colleagues at the
Workshop, he described how he
made the discovery just a few
months ago:
Brain was scrolling through
archival data from Global
Surveyor's particles and fields
sensors. "We have measurements
from 25,000 orbits," he says.
During one of those orbits, MGS
passed through the top of a
magnetic umbrella. Brain noticed
that the umbrella's magnetic
field had linked up with the
magnetic field in the solar wind.
Physicists call this "magnetic
reconnection." What happened next
is not 100% certain, but Global
Surveyor's readings are
consistent with the following
scenario: "The joined fields
wrapped themselves around a
packet of gas at the top of the
Martian atmosphere, forming a
magnetic capsule a thousand
kilometers wide with ionized air
trapped inside," says Brain.
"Solar wind pressure caused the
capsule to 'pinch off' and it
blew away, taking its cargo of
air with it." Brain has since
found a dozen more examples. The
magnetic capsules or "plasmoids"
tend to blow over the south pole
of Mars, mainly because most of
the umbrellas are located in
Mars' southern hemisphere.

Above: Dave
Brain of UC Berkeley presented
this slide at the 2008 Huntsville
Plasma Workshop to explain in
cartoon fashion how plasmoids
carry air away from Mars. [Larger
image]
Brain isn't ready to declare the
mystery solved. "We're still not
sure how often the plasmoids form
or how much gas each one
contains." The problem is, Mars
Global Surveyor wasn't designed
to study the phenomenon. The
spacecraft was only equipped to
sense electrons, not the heavier
ions which would make up the bulk
of any trapped gas. "Ions and
electrons don't always behave the
same way," he cautions. Also, MGS
sampled the umbrellas at fixed
altitudes and at the same local
time each day. "We need to sample
many altitudes and times of day
to truly understand these dynamic
events."
In short, he told the audience,
"we need more data."
Brain is pinning his hopes on a
new NASA mission named MAVEN.
Short for "Mars Atmosphere and
Volatile Evolution," MAVEN is an
upper atmosphere orbiter
currently approved for launch to
Mars in 2013. The probe is
specifically designed to study
atmospheric erosion. MAVEN will
be able to detect electrons, ions
and neutral atoms; it will be
able to measure both magnetic and
electric fields; it will travel
around Mars in an elliptical
orbit, piercing magnetic
umbrellas at different altitudes,
angles, and times of day; and it
will explore regions both near
and far from the umbrellas,
giving researchers the complete
picture they need.
If magnetized chunks of air are
truly being torn free, MAVEN will
see it happening and measure the
atmospheric loss rate.
"Personally, I think this
mechanism is important," says
Brain, "but MAVEN may yet prove
me wrong."
Meanwhile, the Mystery of the
Missing Martian Air is
shaping up to be a ripping good
yarn
From:
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/21nov_plasmoids.htm
|
11-20-08 The sun is blank today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 301.4 km/sec
density: 1.3 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2247 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2245 UT Nov20
24-hr: A0
2245 UT Nov20
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
MYSTERIOUS COSMIC RAYS:
An
international team of
researchers has
discovered a puzzling
surplus of high-energy
electrons bombarding
Earth from space. The
source of these cosmic
rays is unknown, but it
must be close to the
solar system and it could
be made of dark matter:
full story.
|
11-19-08 -The sun is blank today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 296.5 km/sec
density: 0.2 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2229 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2245 UT Nov19
24-hr: A0
1605 UT Nov19
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
CONVERGING
PLANETS:
"The anticipation builds as Venus
and Jupiter approach each other
for their spectacular conjunction
with the Moon on December 1st,"
says astronomy professor
Jimmy Westlake of Colorado
Mountain College. "In the
meantime, the view of the sky's
two brightest planets set against
the star clouds of the Milky Way
isn't half bad, either!"

He took the picture last
night from the dark
countryside near
Stagecoach, Colorado.
"Dusk's fading light,
wispy clouds, and
aircraft headed for parts
unknown combined to make
a dramatic night scene,"
he says.
Not everyone has skies
so dark and starry.
Fortunately, you don't
need
dark skies to witness
the ongoing convergence
of Jupiter and Venus. The
two bright planets beam
through clouds, twilight
and even urban light
pollution. Step outside
at sunset and take a
look.Sky maps:
Nov.19,
20,
21,
22,
23,
24,
25,
26,
27,
28,
29,
30,
Dec 1.
more images:
from Doug Zubenel at
Kill Creek Park near De
Soto, Kansas;
from Tyler Burg of
Omaha, Nebraska;
from Bill Davis of
Albuquerque, New Mexico;
from Katy Giorgio of
Boston, Massachusetts;
from Val Germann of
Columbia, Missouri;
|
11-18-08 - The sun is blank today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 330.8 km/sec
density: 0.8 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2246 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
1805 UT Nov18
24-hr: A0
1805 UT Nov18
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
|
11-17-08 sunspot 1008 slides over
the NE edge of the sun
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 382.3 km/sec
density: 1.3 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 1835 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
1835 UT Nov17
24-hr: A0
1835 UT Nov17
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 1835 UT
LEONID
OUTBURST:
Just as
predicted, the Leonid meteor
shower surged during the early hours
of Nov. 17th. "Earth passed through a
filament of debris shed by parent
comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle in the year
1466," says forecaster Jérémie
Vaubaillon of Caltech. The result was
a
sharp flurry of meteors numbering
almost 90 per hour. "In Slovakia, we
saw many bright and quick Leonids
during the peak," reports Roman Piffl.
|
11-16-08 - sunspot 1008 on the NE
edge of the sun
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 450.4 km/sec
density: 1.1 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2247 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2245 UT Nov16
24-hr: A0
0500 UT Nov16
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
|
11-15-08 sunspot 1008 is going
around the corner toward the back of
the sun
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 313.0 km/sec
density: 0.5 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 0626 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
0625 UT Nov15
24-hr: A0
0625 UT Nov15
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 0625 UT
The Solar and
Heliospheric Observatory
(SOHO) has been doing
this trick for years.
Every day the spacecraft
beams back
coronagraph images of
our own sun, revealing
stars, planets, comets
and asteroids that would
otherwise be lost in the
glare. Today's image
captured Mars and
Mercury:

The two planets are
converging on the Sun and
next week, during the
days around Thanksgiving
in the USA, the trio will
gather inside a circle
less than three degrees
in diameter. Looking up
at noon, you'd never
Click here for live
images from SOHO.
|
11-14-08 sunspot 1008 on the edge of
the sun
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 335.0 km/sec
density: 0.4 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2246 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2245 UT Nov14
24-hr: A0
2245 UT Nov14
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
|
11-13-08 sunspot 1008 on the
upper NE corner of the sun
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 286.3 km/sec
density: 3.9 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2246 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2245 UT Nov13
24-hr: A2
0645 UT Nov13
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
BASKETBALL PLAYER IN THE
MOON:
It's that time of
year, basketball season,
and if you don't believe
it, just look at
tonight's full Moon.
Etched in moondust and
hardened lava, there's a
game in progress:
These images come from
P. Edward Murray of
Yardley, Pennsylvania:
"Last May, I was looking
at a National Geographic
map of the Moon (left)
when suddenly I saw the
Basketball Player in
the Moon," he says.
"Later, I sketched him
onto a photo of a full
Moon (right) I took using
a 4.25-inch Astroscan
telescope. My discovery
was published in the
August 2008 edition of
The Lunar Observer, a
monthly publication of
ALPO. The basketball
player can be seen a few
days before full Moon and
after."
Only one question
remains: Which basketball
player is it?
LunaBron James, of
course.
more images:
from Doug Zubenel of
De Soto, Kansas;
from Becky Ramotowski
of Tijeras, New Mexico;
|
11-12-08 sunspot 1008 is
growing Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 332.1 km/sec
density: 1.9 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2246 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2230 UT Nov12
24-hr: B1
0010 UT Nov12
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
SUNSPOT GROUP 1008:
November is a cloudy
month in South Wales, so
this morning when Steve
Wainwright of Swansea saw
the sun shining through
clear skies, he couldn't
resist a smile. When he
looked at the sun through
his backyard solar
telescope, the sun was
smiling back:
"The sun is
waking up and winking
at us today," says
Wainwright.
The "smile" is a
filament of plasma
connecting the two
magnetic poles of sunspot
1008. Magnetograms of the
active region reveal a
N-S polarity
characteristic of Solar
Cycle 24: this is a
new-cycle sunspot. The
appearance of 1008
continues a recent trend
of increasing new-cycle
sunspot counts, which
began in Oct. 2008. Solar
activity is on the rise;
if you have a
solar telescope, take
a look!
more images:
from B. Shelzi and J.
Stetson of South
Portland, Maine;
from Paul Haese of
Blackwood, South
Australia;
from Jan Timmermans
of Valkenswaard, the
Netherlands;
from Pete Lawrence of
Selsey, West Sussex, UK;
from Peter Paice of
Belfast, Northern
Ireland;
from Andy Yeung of
Hong Kong;
|
11-11-08
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 342.2 km/sec
density: 2.7 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2246 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A1
2105 UT Nov11
24-hr: A2
0835 UT Nov11
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
SUNSPOT GROUP 1008:
A
new group of sunspots is
growing rapidly in the
sun's northern
hemisphere. The active
region, numbered 1008,
contains no fewer than
seven dark cores. Pavol
Rapavy sends this picture
from his backyard
observatory in Rimavska
Sobota, Slovakia:
Using an H-alpha
filter tuned to the red
glow of solar hydrogen,
Pete Lawrence of Selsey
UK witnessed "the
formation of a lovely
magnetic filament"
connecting opposite ends
of the sunspot group:
photo.
Judging from its high
latitude, active region
1008 is a member of new
Solar Cycle 24. The
appearance of 1008
continues a
recent trend of
increasing new-cycle
sunspot counts, which
began in Oct. 2008. Solar
activity is on the rise;
tf you have a
solar telescope, take
a look!
more images:
from Franck Charlier
of Marines, Val d'Oise,
France;
from David Leong of
Hong Kong;
from Andy Yeung of
Hong Kong;
from Peter Paice of
Belfast, Northern
Ireland;
from Denis Joye of
Boulogne, France;
from Catalin M. Timosca
of Turda, Romania;
|
11-10-08 - Sunspot 1008 appeared
today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 407.2 km/sec
density: 2.3 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 0226 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: B2
2030 UT Nov10
24-hr: B2
2030 UT Nov10
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2355 UT
SOLAR CYCLE UPDATE:
"Solar minimum is behind
us," declares NASA
sunspot forecaster David
Hathaway. He bases the
assertion on a flurry of
new-cycle sunspots in
October 2008. For the
first time, active
regions from new Solar
Cycle 24 are outnumbering
active regions from old
Solar Cycle 23. Solar
activity remains
generally low, but the
sun is showing
signs of life.
November is picking up
where October left off
with the formation of yet
another new-cycle
sunspot, provisionally
numbered 1008. It
appeared today at the
location circled in this
SOHO UV image of the sun:

Inside that bright
nest of magnetic loops, a
dark sunspot is rapidly
coelescing. Howard
Eskildsen
photographed it from
his backyard observatory
in Ocala, Florida.
Readers, if you have a
solar telescope, now
is your chance to watch
sunspot genesis in
action.
more images:
from Stephen Ames of
Hodgenville, Kentucky;
from Adrian Guzman of
San Jose, California;
|
11-9-08 sun is blank today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 460.4 km/sec
density: 2.2 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2034 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2245 UT Nov09
24-hr: A0
1245 UT Nov09
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
SUNSET-FLAVORED JELLO:
"Every time I go to watch
a Pacific sunset I feel
like I'm going out on my
very first date," says
Mila Zinkova of San
Francisco, California.
"Tonight (Nov. 6th) my
date was oh-so
entertaining. A green rim
and green flashes danced
on the top and the sides
of the sun for almost a
minute as it descended
into the Pacific. The
green color was as deep
as the ocean itself." She
captured the scene in a
series of photos:
"It reminds me of
jello," says atmospheric
optics expert Les Cowley.
"Near the horizon the sun
always sports a slender
green rim. Our
sphere-shaped atmosphere
acts as a lens to
lift the sun's image.
The blue and green 'suns'
are lifted more than the
red one, but we rarely
see the blue rim because
blue light is mostly
scattered away to form
the sky color above us.
The
mirage conditions
here have distorted the
sun and vertically
magnified the green rim
to generate mini green
flashes."
"The California Coast
with its cold ocean
currents overlaid by warm
winds from the land is
ideal for seeing sights
like these." Sunset jello:
another reason to go to
the beach!
AURORA
WATCH:
On Nov. 9th, flying
photographer Brian Whittaker
was 35,000 feet over the
Arctic Circle when he looked
out the window of his
airplane and saw this:

"For several hours I
had experienced a
good display of
dynamic green
auroras," says
Whittaker. "The best
view was when we
neared the coast of
Greenland.
Snow-capped peaks and
glaciers were easily
visible in the bright
moonlight while
auroras danced
overhead."
It's time to book
another flight. On
Nov. 24th or 25th, a
solar wind stream
will hit Earth and
probably spark a new
round of Northern
Lights. High-latitude
sky watchers should
be alert for
auroras.
|
11-8-08 sun has no hotspots
today, but solar wind is picking up
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 570.3 km/sec
density: 0.9 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2243 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2245 UT Nov08
24-hr: A0
2245 UT Nov08
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
|
11-7-08 Sunspot 1007 sliding
around the corner to the back of the
sun
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 482.1 km/sec
density: 3.7 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2244 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A1
2245 UT Nov07
24-hr: A1
2245 UT Nov07
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
GREAT PROMINENCE:
"The sun
left two gifts on my
doorstep this morning,"
says
Alan Friedman of
Buffalo, New York. "There
was a gorgeous solar
prominence and a glorious
warm November day that
allowed me to observe it
in shirtsleeves!" This
was the view through his
backyard solar telescope:
Other
observers saw it, too:
Stephen Ames of
Hodgenville, Kentucky,
called it "a real
WOWser!" Jan
Timmermans of the
Netherlands measured the
prominence and found it
surging "four times
higher than Earth itself.
It was huge." John Boyd
of Santa Barbara,
California, said "it was
the
biggest prominence
I've seen in a long time.
I'm glad the sun is
getting active again."
Indeed it
is. The month of October
brought four new-cycle
sunspots, doubling the
total of the previous
nine months. For the
first time in 2008,
new-cycle active regions
are outnumbering their
old-cycle counterparts.
Solar Cycle 24 is
definitely picking up
steam and this fiery
prominence may be a
further sign of things to
come.
Readers,
if you have a
solar telescope, take
a look at the
increasingly active sun.
more images:
from David Leong of
Hong Kong;
from Jan Timmermans
of Valkenswaard, the
Netherlands;
from Steve Irvine of
Big Bay, Ontario, Canada;
from Adrian Guzman of
San Jose, California;
|
11-6-08 - sunspot 1007 is going
around the corner to the back side of
the sun
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 296.7 km/sec
density: 14.0 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
24-hr: A9
1135 UT Nov06
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2355 UT
|
|
11-5-08 - sunspot 1007 heading for
the edge of the sun

A
solar wind stream flowing from this
coronal hole
could reach Earth on Nov. 6th or 7th.
Credit: Hinode X-ray Telescope
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 295.6 km/sec
density: 0.2 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2245 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
1650 UT Nov05
24-hr: B3
1255 UT Nov05
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
On November 6, 2008
there were
996 potentially
hazardous asteroids.
Nov. 2008
Earth-asteroid encounters:
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.
|
11-4-08 sunspot 1007 is heading for
the edge today
Current conditions
Solar wind
speed: 325.9 km/sec
density: 0.5 protons/cm3
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at 2246 UT
X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: A0
2040 UT Nov04
24-hr: B9
0330 UT Nov04
explanation |
more data
Updated: Today at: 2245 UT
|
|
11-3-08 - sunspot - 1007

SUNSPOT
1007:
Over the weekend, sunspot
1007
grew into a substantial
active region with two
planet-sized cores connected
by dark magnetic filaments
thousands of kilometers long.
The ensemble bears a curious
resemblence to the pipe of
Sherlock Holmes: "It's
filamentary, my dear Watson!"
says Alan Friedman who sends
this picture from his
backyard observatory in
Buffalo, New York:
The high latitude and
magnetic polarity of
sunspot 1007 identify
it as a member of new
Solar Cycle 24. This
is the fourth
new-cycle sunspot to
breach the sun's
surface in the past
month. In a year of
almost
no sunspots, four
is significant. It
means that the sun is
beginning a slow
ascent out of solar
minimum to a more
active phase of the
sunspot cycle. Solar
minimum is not a
permanent condition!
Readers, if you have
a
solar telescope,
train it on sunspot
1007 to witness a
sign of things to
come.
more
images:
from Larry Alvarez
of Flower Mound,
|