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Solar and Aurora Activity Chat


shuggee

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Posted
  • Location: Upper Tweeddale, Scottish Borders 240m ASL
  • Location: Upper Tweeddale, Scottish Borders 240m ASL

Anyone got an up-date on the reported passing of the solar minimum earlier in the year? I ask because it seems that there is still a dearth of any awakening signs of magnetic storms and sunspots - all quiet on the Sol front?

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Posted
  • Location: Swallownest, Sheffield 83m ASL
  • Location: Swallownest, Sheffield 83m ASL

Hi Shuggs..

The jury is still out on if we have reached the minimum.. sunspot frequency is still low and still appear to be from the last cycle..

I think if anything is anounced spaceweather.com will pick up on it... :D

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Posted
  • Location: Sth Staffs/Shrops 105m/345' & NW Snowdonia 219m/719'
  • Location: Sth Staffs/Shrops 105m/345' & NW Snowdonia 219m/719'

The sunspot cycle is much like any other sine wave cycle such as the tides and daylight hours. Low tide and high tide seem to last a long time but then all of a sudden things get moving very quickly in between. I suspect we’ll have another quiet 18 months or so before things pick up noticeably. Having said that, isolated big flares and CME’s can occur and cause fireworks at any time of the cycle.

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Posted
  • Location: Lower Brynamman, nr Ammanford, 160-170m a.s.l.
  • Location: Lower Brynamman, nr Ammanford, 160-170m a.s.l.

Superb CME profile caught by SOHO from a sunspot just over the limb featured on today's Spaceweather. You can also hear it too!

http://www.spaceweather.com/

Hopefully the region responsible will remain as active once it gets round to this side of the Sun.

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Posted
  • Location: Lower Brynamman, nr Ammanford, 160-170m a.s.l.
  • Location: Lower Brynamman, nr Ammanford, 160-170m a.s.l.

SpaceWeather.com are now getting rather excited about this particular region's imminent emergence over the Sun's limb. Given that the new sunspot cycle seems to be sluggish and rather reluctant to get into gear, any activity seems welcome. Although the British Isles are badly placed for seeing aurorae because the geomagnetic north pole is somewhere in Canada(and getting farther southwest each year) rather than in the same place as the geographic north pole, anything that promises really big X-class solar flares, especially if the Sun's magnetic field is oriented to the south (again see SpaceWeather.com for updates) might be promising at this time of year. But don't count on it.

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Posted
  • Location: Sth Staffs/Shrops 105m/345' & NW Snowdonia 219m/719'
  • Location: Sth Staffs/Shrops 105m/345' & NW Snowdonia 219m/719'

From Spaceweather.

AURORA ALERT: A G2 geomagnetic storm is in progress. The cause: a solar wind stream is buffeting Earth's magnetic field. Auroras have been sighted in several northern US states including New York, Montana and Wisconsin.

KP index of 6, but not sure if it will hold till it's dark here tonight to be in with any chance up North.

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Posted
  • Location: Upper Tweeddale, Scottish Borders 240m ASL
  • Location: Upper Tweeddale, Scottish Borders 240m ASL

Just spotted that one Kar :whistling:

Typical that it's wet windy and with no prospect of clear skies - typical!

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Posted
  • Location: Kingdom of Fife: 56.2º N, 3.2º W
  • Location: Kingdom of Fife: 56.2º N, 3.2º W

Kp still red but has dropped back to 5. Kp of 6 is just about doable from here if the sky is crystal clear to the horizon. I generally take a Kp of 7 before I'll do much in the way of driving.

Current weather is lousy, lead sky and drizzle. :D

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Posted
  • Location: Sth Staffs/Shrops 105m/345' & NW Snowdonia 219m/719'
  • Location: Sth Staffs/Shrops 105m/345' & NW Snowdonia 219m/719'

It's backed off to KP3 now so Frogesque, I think it's feet up in front of the fire with a glass in hand tonight! :D

Edited by kar999
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Posted
  • Location: Sth Staffs/Shrops 105m/345' & NW Snowdonia 219m/719'
  • Location: Sth Staffs/Shrops 105m/345' & NW Snowdonia 219m/719'

AURORA WATCH: Northern sky watchers, be alert for auroras. Earth is entering a solar wind stream flowing from a coronal hole on the sun, and the encounter could spark a geomagnetic storm.

May not come to much but KP index currently at 5. Typically northern skies look set to be a tad cloudy in many places!

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Posted
  • Location: Kingdom of Fife: 56.2º N, 3.2º W
  • Location: Kingdom of Fife: 56.2º N, 3.2º W

AURORA WATCH: Northern sky watchers, be alert for auroras. Earth is entering a solar wind stream flowing from a coronal hole on the sun, and the encounter could spark a geomagnetic storm.

May not come to much but KP index currently at 5. Typically northern skies look set to be a tad cloudy in many places!

As in throwing down with a powerhose here! http://nwstatic.co.uk/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/unsure.gif

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Posted
  • Location: Sth Staffs/Shrops 105m/345' & NW Snowdonia 219m/719'
  • Location: Sth Staffs/Shrops 105m/345' & NW Snowdonia 219m/719'

Wooooo... we haven't a biggy like this for a long time...

X-Ray X- Class Solar Flare

X8 1035 UT Dec05

http://www.sec.noaa.gov/rt_plots/Xray.gif

post-1596-1165317767_thumb.png

Edited by kar999
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Posted
  • Location: Kingdom of Fife: 56.2º N, 3.2º W
  • Location: Kingdom of Fife: 56.2º N, 3.2º W

Wooooo... we haven't a biggy like this for a long time...

X-Ray X- Class Solar Flare

X8 1035 UT Dec05

http://www.sec.noaa.gov/rt_plots/Xray.gif

Doesn't look like a long lasting one so not too sure what the consequenses will be.

Any activity is welcomed but we really need an Earth directed CME along with it.

From Spaceweather:

"CORONAL HOLE: There's a hole in the Sun's atmosphere today--a "coronal hole." It shows up jet-black in this false-color X-ray image of the Sun from NOAA's GOES-13 satellite:

Coronal holes are places where the Sun's magnetic field opens up and allows solar wind to escape into space. A windy gust from this coronal hole is expected to hit Earth on Dec. 6th or 7th, possibly sparking a geomagnetic storm and auroras. "

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Posted
  • Location: Kingdom of Fife: 56.2º N, 3.2º W
  • Location: Kingdom of Fife: 56.2º N, 3.2º W

Seems the X Flare is nothing to do with the coronal hole but everything to do with the latest sunspot to apear on the east limb (LHS in image)

Latest SOHO 1

Unfortunately LASCO is in bakeout mode so no pics of any associated CME

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Posted
  • Location: Larbert
  • Location: Larbert

X9 http://nwstatic.co.uk/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif

Posted Image

If it only it had produced an X9, say 3 days from now! It might yet, though

;):) It's believed to be old sunspot 923, now 929

929

Posted Image

:)

Just outside the top 20 of strongest solar flares since 1978:

http://www.solarcycle24.com/top20.htm

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