Solar and Aurora Activity Chat

[Polar Maritime]

[Polar Maritime]

Solar activity was moderate thanks to an isolated M-Class flare around Sunspot 1675 on Sunday morning. The Solar X-Rays have since been quieter with only low level C-Class flares being detected. Sunspot 1675 has seen some spot seperation between the leader and the trailing sunspots, but does have a Beta-Gamma magnetic configuration. There is a small chance for another isolated M-Class flare. All other regions are currently stable.

http://solarham.net/

Visible Solar Disk (Monday) - SDO

Solar Filament (Sunday) - SDO

Edited February 18, 2013 by Polar Maritime

[Polar Maritime]

FAST-GROWING SUNSPOT: Less than a day ago, sunspot AR1678 didn't exist. Now it is three times wider than our entire planet. NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the sunspot's rapid development:

Sunspots are islands of magnetism that float on the surface of the sun. This one is emerging from depth and changing at such a rapid pace that its magnetic field is likely unstable. A reconnection event in AR1678's magnetic canopy could lead to a significant solar flare. http://www.spaceweather.com/

Edited February 19, 2013 by Polar Maritime

[jethro]

This guy takes some amazing pics of the Sun.....

http://alanfriedman.tumblr.com/tagged/sun

http://www.photoeye.com/gallery/forms2/index.cfm?image=1&id=206210&imagePosition=1&Door=2&Portfolio=Portfolio1&Gallery=2

[Polar Maritime]

CHANCE OF FLARES: New sunspot AR1678 has developed a delta-class magnetic field that harbors energy for strong explosions. NOAA forecasters estimate a 55% chance of M-flares and a 15% chance of X-flares during the next 24 hours. http://www.spaceweather.com/

Edited February 20, 2013 by Polar Maritime

[Polar Maritime]

CHANCE OF FLARES: New sunspot AR1678 has developed a delta-class magnetic field that harbors energy for strong explosions. NOAA forecasters estimate a 45% chance of M-flares and a 15% chance of X-flares during the next 24 hours. http://www.spaceweather.com/

[Polar Maritime]

AURORA WATCH: Despite mostly-low solar activity, February has been a good month for auroras, with some observers reporting weeks of nightly Northern Lights around the Arctic Circle. "There were great auroras yesterday night outside the little Inuit village of Ivujivik in Nunavik, Quebec," says Sylvain Serre, who photographed some of the onlookers:

http://www.spaceweather.com/

[Polar Maritime]

[jonboy]

Well for so called solar Max we have a spotless day called by the Laymans site

http://www.landscheidt.info/?q=node/50

[Polar Maritime]

SLIGHT CHANCE OF FLARES: New sunspot AR1682 has a 'beta-gamma' magnetic field that harbors energy for M-class solar flares. NOAA forecasters estimate a 10% chance of an eruption. http://www.spaceweather.com/

[Polar Maritime]

GEOMAGNETIC STORM: A minor (Kp=5) geomagnetic storm is underway around the poles. The cause is a high-speed (~600 km/s) stream of solar wind that hit Earth's magnetic field during the late hours of Feb. 28th. Reports of auroras are coming in from around tthe Arctic Circle, like these photographed by Frank Olsen of over Norway:

http://www.spaceweather.com/

Interesting from NASA.. could we have a double peak?

[Polar Maritime]

GEOMAGNETIC STORM: A high-speed solar wind stream is buffeting Earth's magnetic field and sparking bright auroras around the Arctic Circle. Frank Olsen sends this picture from Sortland, Norway:

"The weather here in Vesterålen has been terrible for more than a week," says Olsen. "I was so glad the clouds parted so we could catch the auroras at 1:30 am local time on March the 1st."

More auroras are in the offing. NOAA forecasters estimate a 45% chance of polar geomagnetic storms on March 2-3 as the solar wind continues to blow. http://www.spaceweather.com/

[Polar Maritime]

FARSIDE EXPLOSION: An active region on the farside of the sun exploded during the early hours of March 5th, hurling a bright CME into space. Cameras onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) recorded the expanding cloud:

http://www.spaceweather.com/

http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4Gk5c3PC34

Edited March 6, 2013 by Polar Maritime

[Polar Maritime]

[jonboy]

The sun has lots of specks today which don't meet the Latman's threshold so today is spotless

[Crepuscular Ray]

The sun has lots of specks today which don't meet the Latman's threshold so today is spotless

Who's Mr Latman, and who appointed him judge?

Edited March 7, 2013 by Crepuscular Ray

[Polar Maritime]

[Polar Maritime]

[Polar Maritime]

CHANCE OF STORMS: NOAA forecasters estimate a 65% chance of polar geomagnetic storms on March 15th when a CME might deliver a glancing blow to Earth's magnetic field. The CME was launched by a filament of solar magnetism that erupted on March 12th. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras when the cloud arrives. http://www.spaceweather.com/

Another low level C-Class flare last night from near sunspot 1692 off the N/E limb, a CME was produced...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTQrLDuVWLQ

[Polar Maritime]

[Polar Maritime]

24 years ago at this time, a Severe Geomagnetic Storm was well underway, This led to the failure of the Hydro Quebec power grid and a brilliant light show across many locations. Graeme Whipps in Scotland captured this dazzling display on March 13, 1989. To view more images from that night, visit the link below.

http://www.flickr.co...57627776416973/

Edited March 14, 2013 by Polar Maritime

[Polar Maritime]

We have X Class Flare M1.0 at least, in progress !! from sunspot number 1692 which is Earth directed..Please note that the SDO spacecraft is currently being eclipsed by Earth and images are unavailable at this time.

http://solarham.net/

Also...

CME IMPACT: As expected, a coronal mass ejection (CME) hit Earth's magnetic field on March 15th at approximately 0500 UT. The impact was weak, but conditions for geomagnetic storming could develop as Earth passes through the wake of the CME. High latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras. http://www.spaceweather.com/

Edited March 15, 2013 by Polar Maritime

[Polar Maritime]

It's looking good for the 17th, with a direct hit from M1.1 flare we had last night which produced long duration Halo CME.

Edited March 15, 2013 by Polar Maritime

[Polar Maritime]

[Polar Maritime]

We could be looking at a Kp 7 storm from the recent CME...

WILL THE SKY TURN GREEN ON ST. PATRICK'S DAY? A magnetic filament snaking around sunspot AR1692 erupted on March 15th at about 0600 UT. The slow explosion, which took hours to unfold, produced an M1-class solar flare and a bright CME. SOHO (the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) photographed the expanding cloud, which is heading directly toward Earth:

The CME left the sun traveling some 900 km/s (2 million mph). Three-dimensional computer models based on observations from SOHO and NASA's twin STEREO probes predict the CME will cross the void between sun and Earth in two days or less. NOAA forecasters estimate a 70% chance of polar geomagnetic storms when the cloud arrives on March 17th. This means the sky could turn green on St. Patrick's Day! High latitude (and possibly even middle latitude) sky watchers should be alert for auroras this weekend. http://www.spaceweather.com/