SOLAR WIND: A medium-speed (~425 km/s) stream of solar wind is buffeting Earth's magnetic field. The solar wind is not blowing hard enough to ignite a full-fledged geomagnetic storm, but it is stirring up some beautiful auroras around the Arctic Circle. Check the realtime aurora gallery for latest images.
M-CLASS SOLAR FLARES: The magnetic canopy of big sunspot AR1618 is crackling with M-class solar flares. This image taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory shows the extreme ultraviolet flash from one of them, an M1.6-class flare on Nov. 20th at 1928 UT:
This eruption, and another one like it about 7 hours earlier, might have propelled faint coronal mass ejections (CMEs) toward Earth. If so, the impacts would likely commence on Nov. 23rd, with a chance of high-latitude geomagnetic storms following their arrival. Stay tuned for updates. Aurora alerts: text, voice.
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Solar wind
speed: 392.3 km/sec
density: 2.3 protons/cm3
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2147 UT
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X-ray Solar Flares
6-hr max: M3 1530 UT Nov21
24-hr: M3 1530 UT Nov21
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at: 2100 UT
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Daily Sun: 21 Nov 12
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Sunspot AR1618 has a beta-gamma magnetic field that harbors energy for M-class solar flares. Credit: SDO/HMI
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Sunspot number: 119
What is the sunspot number?
Updated 21 Nov 2012
Spotless Days
Current Stretch: 0 days
2012 total: 0 days (0%)
2011 total: 2 days (<1%)
2010 total: 51 days (14%)
2009 total: 260 days (71%)
Since 2004: 821 days
Typical Solar Min: 486 days
Update 21 Nov 2012
The Radio Sun
10.7 cm flux: 141 sfu
explanation | more data
Updated 21 Nov 2012
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Current Auroral Oval:
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Switch to: Europe, USA, New Zealand, Antarctica
Credit: NOAA/POES
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Planetary K-index
Now: Kp= 1 quiet
24-hr max: Kp= 3 quiet
explanation | more data
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Interplanetary Mag. Field
Btotal: 3.2 nT
Bz: 2.0 nT north
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 2147 UT
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Coronal Holes: 21 Nov 12
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There are no large coronal holes on the Earthside of the sun. Credit: SDO/AIA.
