Solar and Aurora Activity Chat

[Dancerwithwings]

Love the music gives it that intense feeling and the " X factor " !! 2:20 mins into it.

 

Edited August 12, 2013 by Dancerwithwings

[Polar Maritime]

INCREASING CHANCE OF FLARES: Two new sunspots are growing rapidly in the sun's southern hemisphere. One of them, AR1817, is directly facing Earth and poses a threat for X-class solar flares. A movie from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory shows the sunspot's development over the past 48 hours: http://www.spaceweather.com/

 

Edited August 13, 2013 by Polar Maritime

[Polar Maritime]

[Polar Maritime]

 

AURORA WATCH: Earth is entering a stream of fast solar wind, and this could spark auroras tonight at high latitudes. NOAA forecasters estimate a 30% chance of polar geomagnetic storms.http://www.spaceweather.com/

Edited August 16, 2013 by Polar Maritime

[Polar Maritime]

CHANCE OF FLARES: The face of the sun is very quiet. However, two sunspots, AR1817 and AR1818, have 'beta-gamma-delta' magnetic fields that harbor energy for significant eruptions. NOAA forecasters estimate a 35% chance of M-classsolar flares on August,17th.  

 http://www.spaceweather.com/

[Polar Maritime]

M3.3 Solar Flare a few hours ago from sunspot 1818..

 

 

[Polar Maritime]

 

SIGNIFICANT FLARE: Sunspot AR1818 erupted on August 17th at 1824 UT, producing a long duration M3-class solar flare. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the action:

 

The movie shows material from the blast site flying into space. It is too soon to say whether Earth is in the line of fire.http://www.spaceweather.com/

[Polar Maritime]

Looks like it could be a Halo CME, We should get a glancing blow at worst.

 

[Polar Maritime]

 

UPDATE: CME OFF-TARGET: According to NOAA analysts, a CME hurled into space by an M3-class solar flare on August 17th will probably miss Earth. However, Earth will pass through the wake of the CME after the cloud itself passes by. This could trigger polar geomagnetic storms despite the CME being off-target. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras on August 20-21.

http://www.spaceweather.com/

[Polar Maritime]

 

AURORA SEASON BEGINS: Around the Arctic Circle, summer is long and bright. Auroras vanish in the glow of the midnight sun. News flash: the auroras are back. "Tonight I saw the first auroras of the new season in Oulu, Finland," says Thomas Kast, who took this picture on August 22nd:

POLAR STORM WARNING: Two CMEs are heading for Earth. The plasma clouds were expelled from the sun on August 20-21 by a pair of erupting magnetic filaments. NOAA forecasters expect the CMEs to arrive on August 23-24, possibly sparking geomagnetic storms around the poles. http://www.spaceweather.com/

[Polar Maritime]

 

TWILIGHT AURORAS: It's that time of year. As the midnight sun wanes, auroras are reappearing in Arctic skies. Sky watchers are seeing a mix of colors, twilight-blue + aurora green, that is unique to the end of northern summer: http://www.spaceweather.com/

 

[Polar Maritime]

After days of quiet, a long duration C-Class flare reaching C8.3 from sunspot 1836.. It's looking like a full Halo CME, so it is almost certain that a portion of this plasma cloud will be Earth directed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 30, 2013 by Polar Maritime

[Polar Maritime]

[Polar Maritime]

[Polar Maritime]

1st of September Auroras.

Geomagnetic Storming is not necessary in order to see the northern lights. Stuart Cant located in Scotland shot this fine example he captured last night . Even with a listed Kp Index of 2, here you can see a faint green glow and purple beams in the distance. 

 

 

[Polar Maritime]

Mathew Stewart shares with us this nice time lapse aurora video he captured very early this morning over Gull Lake, Alberta, Canada.

 

 

Edited September 3, 2013 by Polar Maritime

[Polar Maritime]

Some fantastic footage from Alaska from last weekend, over 8 hours worth !

 

http://vimeo.com/73630309

Edited September 3, 2013 by Polar Maritime

[Polar Maritime]

 

QUIET SUNSPOTS: All of the sunspots on the Earthside of the sun are stable and quiet. NOAA forecasters estimate a slight 5% chance of M-class solar flares and no more than a 1% chance of X-class flares on Sept. 4th.  http://www.spaceweather.com/

[Gavin Hannah]

Sunspot count approaching 0.

 

http://www.spaceweather.com/

 

[jonboy]

Remarkable considering some would have us believe we are not at cycle max yet.

Layman's sunspot count calls today spotless.Is this the start of a prolonged hibernation by the Sun and if so i wonder what is in store for our climate!!

[Polar Maritime]

VERY QUIET SUN: The face of the sun is nearly blank. There is only one tiny sunspot and it is not flaring. NOAA forecasters estimate no more than a 1% chance of M- or X-class flares during the next 24 hours. http://www.spaceweather.com/

[karyo]

Is it me or are they determined to prevent a spotless day by counting every tiny spec on the surface of the sun?

 

Karyo

[jonboy]

 

Is it me or are they determined to prevent a spotless day by counting every tiny spec on the surface of the sun? Karyo

Given that their original prediction for this cycle was that it would be greater than the last cycle 23 and that they have continually over predicted the sunspot numbers so far is it any real surprise.Over on the Layman's sunpot site that try's to use the original methods of counting we are into a second spotless day. It is also a great site for other issues related to the sun like the F10 flux and EUV levels which many think play an inportant role in determining how our climate behaves 

[Polar Maritime]

The weekest solar sycle since 1906.

[jonboy]

 

The weekest solar sycle since 1906.

 More like cycle 5 which was the start of the Dalton Minimun