SPACE WEATHER
Current
Conditions

Solar Wind
speed: 313.0 km/s
density:
3.0 protons/cm3
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 0946 UT


X-ray Solar Flares

6-hr max:
B2 0550 UT Jun11
24-hr: B3 0000 UT Jun11
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 0940 UT

Daily Sun: 11 Jun '05

Sunspots 775 and 776 have complex magnetic fields that harbor energy for strong M-class solar flares. Credit: SOHO/MDI


Sunspot Number: 103
What is the sunspot number?
Updated: 10 Jun 2005

Far Side of the Sun

This holographic image reveals a medium-sized sunspot group on the far side of the sun. Image credit: SOHO/MDI

Interplanetary Mag. Field
Btotal: 5.6 nT
Bz:
1.3 nT north
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 0947 UT

Coronal Holes:

A solar wind stream flowing from the indicated coronal hole might hit Earth's magnetic field on or about June 15th. Image credit: NOAA Solar X-ray Imager


SPACE WEATHER
NOAA
Forecasts

Solar Flares: Probabilities for a medium-sized (M-class) or a major (X-class) solar flare during the next 24/48 hours are tabulated below.
Updated at 2005 Jun 10 2204 UTC
FLARE 0-24 hr 24-48 hr
CLASS M 40 % 40 %
CLASS X 05 % 05 %

Geomagnetic Storms: Probabilities for significant disturbances in Earth's magnetic field are given for three activity levels: active, minor storm, severe storm
Updated at 2005 Jun 10 2204 UTC
Mid-latitudes
0-24 hr 24-48 hr
ACTIVE 15 % 20 %
MINOR 05 % 10 %
SEVERE 01 % 01 %

High latitudes
0-24 hr 24-48 hr
ACTIVE 20 % 30 %
MINOR 05 % 10 %
SEVERE 01 % 05 %

What's Up in Space -- 11 Jun 2005
Subscribe to Space Weather News

Did you miss the aurora storms of May? Next time get a wake-up call: Sign up for SpaceWeather PHONE.

SUNSPOT WATCH: Two big 'spots, 775 and 776, are crossing the sun today. Each has a twisted magnetic field that harbors energy for M-class solar flares.

In Ocala, Florida, Howard Eskildsen photographed the pair peeking "through the outer bands of clouds cast off by tropical storm Arlene."

Warning: The sun, dimmed by clouds, is so tempting to look at ... but don't. All it takes is one ray of sunshine beaming through a gap in the cloudcover to really hurt your eyes. Try these safe solar observing techniques instead.

BIRD IN SPACE: In 1923, modern art pioneer Constantin Brancusi sculpted the Bird in Space. Last month, the sculpture was sold at auction for 27 million dollars. Two days ago, it appeared on the sun.

Well ... "it looked like the Bird in Space," says John Stetson of Falmouth, Maine, who took this picture on June 9th:

In fact, it's a prominence, a magnetic plume of hot gas about 10 times taller than Earth. The resemblence to Brancusi's sculpture was, of course, coincidental, but the timing was perfect. SOHO has just announced a new art contest for sun watchers: details.

more images: from Didier Favre of Los Angeles, CA; from Cai-Uso Wohler of Winsen/Luhe, Germany;

VENUS RETURNS: The brightest planet in the solar system, Venus, has returned to the evening sky. You can see it any night this month. Step outside at sundown and face west. Venus pops into view long before the sky grows completely dark.

Venus images: from William Lim of Singapore; from Dan Kaufherr of Spicewood, Texas; from Hector Cintron of San Juan, Puerto Rico;



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 are on a collision course with our planet, although astronomers are finding new ones all the time.

On 11 Jun 2005 there were 696 known Potentially
Hazardous Asteroids
May-July 2005 Earth-asteroid encounters
ASTEROID

 DATE (UT)

 MISS DISTANCE

 MAG.
2005 JT1

May 11

6.9 LD

 19
2005 ED318

May 23

6.3 LD

 14
2000 AG6

July 22

8.7 LD

 20
Notes: LD is a "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.

Essential Web Links

NOAA Space Environment Center -- The official U.S. government bureau for real-time monitoring of solar and geophysical events, research in solar-terrestrial physics, and forecasting solar and geophysical disturbances.

Atmospheric Optics -- the first place to look for information about sundogs, pillars, rainbows and related phenomena. See also Snow Crystals.

Solar and Heliospheric Observatory -- Realtime and archival images of the Sun from SOHO. (European Mirror Site)

Daily Sunspot Summaries -- from the NOAA Space Environment Center.

Current Solar Images --a gallery of up-to-date solar pictures from the National Solar Data Analysis Center at the Goddard Space Flight Center. See also the GOES-12 Solar X-ray Imager.

Recent Solar Events -- a nice summary of current solar conditions from lmsal.com.

SOHO Farside Images of the Sun from SWAN and MDI.

The Latest SOHO Coronagraph Images -- from the Naval Research Lab

The Sun from Earth -- daily images of our star from the Big Bear Solar Observatory

List of Potentially Hazardous Asteroids -- from the Harvard Minor Planet Center.

Observable Comets -- from the Harvard Minor Planet Center.

What is the Interplanetary Magnetic Field? -- A lucid answer from the University of Michigan. See also the Anatomy of Earth's Magnetosphere.

Real-time Solar Wind Data -- from NASA's ACE spacecraft. How powerful are solar wind gusts? Read this story from Science@NASA.

More Real-time Solar Wind Data -- from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory Proton Monitor.

Aurora Forecast --from the University of Alaska's Geophysical Institute

Daily Solar Flare and Sunspot Data -- from the NOAA Space Environment Center.

Lists of Coronal Mass Ejections -- from 1998 to 2001

What is an Iridium flare? See also Photographing Satellites by Brian Webb.

What is an Astronomical Unit, or AU?

Mirages: Mirages in Finland; An Introduction to Mirages;

NOAA Solar Flare and Sunspot Data: 1999; 2000; 2001; 2002; 2003; 2004; Jan-Mar., 2005;

Space Audio Streams: (University of Florida) 20 MHz radio emissions from Jupiter: #1, #2, #3, #4; (NASA/Marshall) INSPIRE: #1; (Stan Nelson of Roswell, New Mexico) meteor radar: #1, #2;

Recent International Astronomical Union Circulars

GLOSSARY | SPACE WEATHER TUTORIAL

This site is penned daily by Dr. Tony Phillips: email
You are visitor number 33266108 since January 2000.
View archives: