Sol (Sun) and its phenomena

[Puma]

SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT APRIL 29_2023

Solar activity has been at low levels for the past 24 hours. The largest solar event of the period was a C6 event observed at 16:00 UTC on April 28 from Region 3289 (N20E37)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1652137124093894656

https://twitter.com/x/status/1652019893305262084

https://twitter.com/x/status/1652018512129413120

There are currently 7 numbered sunspot regions on the solar disk: AR3285, AR3286, AR3288, AR3289, AR3290, AR3291, AR3292

The total number of sunspots has decreased to 111 (54 of these are grouped into 7 active regions) NOAA forecasts for the next 24h: 95% chance for C flares, 25% chance for M flares and 1% chance for X flares.

Active region 3288 has developed a beta-gamma-delta magnetic field and harbors energy for M-class solar flares

● Auroral Activity

The geomagnetic field has been at unsettled to active levels for the past 24 hours. solar wind speed reached a peak of 740 km/s (High speed) at 13:22 UTC on April 25 Maximum planetary index Kp 4

Aurora Oval Bz: 3.05 nT North

● Current Conditions at 04:30 UTC on April 29

▪︎ Geospace unsettled
▪︎ Geomagnetic conditions now : Kp 3
▪︎ Solar wind speed record: 640 km/sec (Moderately high speed)
▪︎ density: 1.73 p/cm³ (low density)
▪︎ Neutron Counts today: -0.5% (Below Average)
▪︎ X-ray Solar Flare: C6 at 23:33 UTC
▪︎ Sunspot number: 111 (SN 136 April 28)
▪︎ Spotless Days 2023 total: 0 days (0%)

SpaceWeatherlive..com
SpaceWeather.com

 

[Puma]

SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT APRIL 30_2023

Solar activity has been at low levels for the past 24 hours. The largest solar event of the period was a C8 event observed at 10:17 UTC on April 29 from Region 3288 (S23W31).

https://twitter.com/x/status/1652490116772909056

There are currently 6 numbered sunspot regions on the solar disk: AR3285, AR3286, AR3288, AR3289, AR3291, AR3292

The total number of sunspots has decreased to 82 (36 of these are grouped into 6 active regions) NOAA forecasts for the next 24h: 99% chance for C flares, 35% chance for M flares and 5% chance for X flares.

A DANGEROUS SUNSPOT: Big sunspot AR3288 has an unstable 'delta-class' magnetic field that harbors energy for powerful X-class solar flares. If such an explosion does occur today, it will be geoeffective. The sunspot is almost directly facing Earth.

Pepe Manteca has been watching the sunspot from Begues, Spain: "Today, region AR3288 has emitted 4 C-class solar flares. I was fortunate to be able to capture this C8.8-class explosion from beginning to end."​

Compared to the X-flares AR3288 is capable of unleashing, these C-flares are minor and weak. A steady diet of weak may be draining energy from the active region, preventing it from unleashing the Big One. Amateur astronomers with solar telescopes are encouraged to monitor developments. As Manteca's photos show, even "weak" flares can be very photogenic. SpaceWeather.com​

https://twitter.com/x/status/1652065111241007104

● Auroral Activity

The geomagnetic field has been at unsettled to active levels for the past 24 hours. solar wind speed reached a peak of 720 km/s (High speed) at 15:52 UTC on April 29 Maximum planetary index Kp 4

https://twitter.com/x/status/1652337888418209793

Aurora Oval Bz: 2.44 nT North


● Current Conditions at 04:00 UTC on April 30

▪︎ Geospace unsettled
▪︎ Geomagnetic conditions now : Kp 3
▪︎ Solar wind speed record: 524 km/sec (Moderately high speed)
▪︎ density: 0.78 p/cm³ (low density)
▪︎ Neutron Counts today: -0.4% (Below Average)
▪︎ X-ray Solar Flare: C3 at 02:17 UTC
▪︎ Sunspot number: 82 (SN 111 April 29)
▪︎ Spotless Days 2023 total: 0 days (0%)
▪︎ Earth is inside a stream of solar wind flowing from a coronal hole

SpaceWeatherlive..com
SpaceWeather.com

 

[Puma]

SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT MAY 01_2023

Solar activity has been at moderate levels for the past 24 hours. The largest solar event of the period was a M2 event observed at 20:28 UTC on April 30 from Region 3293 (N13E82) it caused a minor R1 radio blackout over North America.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1652847410853429248

There are currently 6 numbered sunspot regions on the solar disk: AR3285, AR3286, AR3288, AR3289, AR3291, AR3292 and new region AR3293

The total number of sunspots has increased to 105 (46 of these are grouped into 6 active regions) NOAA forecasts for the next 24h: 99% chance for C flares, 40% chance for M flares and 5% chance for X flares.

● Auroral Activity

The geomagnetic field has been at unsettled to active levels for the past 24 hours. solar wind speed reached a peak of 671 km/s (Moderately High speed) at 21:53 UTC on April 29 Maximum planetary index Kp 4

Aurora Oval Bz: 1.7 nT North

AURORAS--AND SOMETHING ELSE--OVER CHINA: Chinese astrophotographer Jeff Dai has long dreamed of seeing auroras over his home country. "On April 24th, my dream came true," he says. A severe geomagnetic storm was underway when he drove to the countryside outside Karamay, Xinjiang, China, and photographed a sky full of Northern Lights:​

​

"I could see them with my naked eye," he says. "It was truly spectacular!"

But there's more to the story. Only a fraction of the lights he saw were actual auroras. Note the red arc at the top of his photo. That's something else--an "SAR."

SARs are red arcs of light that ripple across the sky during some geomagnetic storms. They were discovered in 1956 at the beginning of the Space Age. Researchers didn’t know what they were and unwittingly gave them a misleading name: "Stable Auroral Red arcs" or SARs.​

In fact, SARs are neither stable nor auroras. Auroras appear when charged particles rain down from space, hitting the atmosphere and causing it to glow like the picture tube of an old color TV. SARs form differently. They are a sign of heat energy leaking into the upper atmosphere from Earth’s ring current system--a donut-shaped circuit of plasma carrying millions of amps around our planet.​

Above: SARs photographed by the Dynamics Explorer-1 satellite in 1982. More​

SARs are among the reddest things in the sky, with a monochromatic glow at 6300 Å that comes from atomic oxygen in the upper atmosphere. The human eye is relatively insensitive to light at this wavelength, but cameras record the color easily. Pro tip for photographers: Use a 6300 Å filter.

"Seeing auroras from China is very difficult," says Dai. "It happens maybe 1-2 times every 11 years." Seeing an SAR is even more rare. It was a dreamy night, indeed. SpaceWeather.com​

● Current Conditions at 04:30 UTC on May 01

▪︎ Geospace unsettled
▪︎ Geomagnetic conditions now : Kp 3
▪︎ Solar wind speed record: 475.2 km/sec (Elevated speed)
▪︎ density: 1.98 p/cm³ (low density)
▪︎ Neutron Counts today: -0.2% (Below Average)
▪︎ X-ray Solar Flare: M1 at 01:31 UTC
▪︎ Sunspot number: 105 (SN 82 April 30)
▪︎ Spotless Days 2023 total: 0 days (0%)

SpaceWeatherlive..com
SpaceWeather.com

 

[Puma]

SOLAR CYCLE ACTIVITY REPORT MAY 02_2023

Solar activity has been at high levels for the past 24 hours. The largest solar event of the period was a M7 event observed at 13:09 UTC on May 01 from Region 3288 (S23W56). It caused a Moderate R2 radio blackout over North Atlantic Ocean and West Africa. The flare itself was impulsive and does not appear to be associated with a CME

https://twitter.com/x/status/1653074456187904001

https://twitter.com/x/status/1653205235861422083

There are currently 6 numbered sunspot regions on the solar disk: AR3285, AR3286, AR3288, AR3289, AR3291, AR3293
AR3292 is gone

The total number of sunspots has increased to 87 (38 of these are grouped into 6 active regions) NOAA forecasts for the next 24h: 99% chance for C flares, 50% chance for M flares and 10% chance for X flares.

AR3288 keeps a complex Beta-Gamma-Delta magnetic layout but the region has been disappointing us thus far. It did produce an M7 solar flare today which sounds very exciting but the solar flare was very impulsive lasting just 11 minutes. It did not launch a CME. SpaceWeatherlive vía Twitter

New AR3293 (N13E68) has developed a beta-delta magnetic field. This region has produced a M2.4 and a M1 already and is crackling with C-class flares.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1652877418066223104

● Auroral Activity

The geomagnetic field has been at unsettled to active levels for the past 24 hours. solar wind speed reached a peak of 573 km/s (Moderately High speed) at 18:53 UTC on May 01. Active geomagnetic conditions (Kp4) threshold reached at 23:55 UTC Maximum planetary index Kp 4

Aurora Oval Bz: -1.89 nT South


● Current Conditions at 04:40 UTC on May 02

▪︎ Geospace unsettled
▪︎ Geomagnetic conditions now : Kp 3
▪︎ Solar wind speed record: 501.3 km/sec (Moderately high speed)
▪︎ density: 2.66 p/cm³ (low density)
▪︎ Neutron Counts today: 0.0% (Average)
▪︎ X-ray Solar Flare: C7 at 22:32 UTC
▪︎ Sunspot number: 87 (SN 105 May 01)
▪︎ Spotless Days 2023 total: 0 days (0%)

SpaceWeatherlive..com
SpaceWeather.com

 

[Puma]

SOLAR CYCLE ACTIVITY REPORT MAY 03_2023

Solar activity has been at low levels for the past 24 hours. The largest solar event of the period was a C5.5 event observed at 18:18 UTC from Region 3288 (S20W61).

https://twitter.com/x/status/1653369471082323975

https://twitter.com/x/status/1653370461923803136

There are currently 9 numbered sunspot regions on the solar disk: AR3285, AR3288, AR3289, AR3291, AR3293, and new regions AR3294, AR3295, AR3296, AR3297
AR3286 is gone

The total number of sunspots has increased to 134 (46 of these are grouped into 9 active regions) NOAA forecasts for the next 24h: 99% chance for C flares, 50% chance for M flares and 10% chance for X flares.

● Auroral Activity

The geomagnetic field has been at quiet to active levels for the past 24 hours. solar wind speed reached a peak of 549 km/s (Moderately High speed) at 22:23 UTC on May 01.

A SUDDEN DECREASE IN COSMIC RADIATION: Last month, during the late hours of April 23rd, a CME hit Earth's magnetic field. The impact sparked a severe geomagnetic storm with auroras so bright they could be seen as far south as Texas. Invisible to the human eye, something else happened. There was a sudden decrease in cosmic radiation:​

​

In a matter of hours, cosmic rays peppering Earth's atmosphere dropped to their lowest levels since 2015. Neutron monitors in Oulu, Finland, detected the drop, which lasted for days.

This is called a "Forbush decrease," named after American physicist Scott Forbush who studied cosmic rays in the early 20th century. It happens when a coronal mass ejection (CME) sweeps past Earth and pushes galactic cosmic rays away from our planet. It sounds counterintuitive, but big solar storms can cause sharp decreases in space radiation.

This Forbush decrease is over, but more are in the offing. Solar Max is coming and soon the sun will be hurling many more CMEs in our direction. Their cumulative effect could create a sustained decrease in cosmic radiation, lowering dose rates for astronauts and air travelers. SpaceWeather.com​

Aurora Oval Bz: 2.03 nT North

https://twitter.com/x/status/1653568475397332992

● Current Conditions at 04:50 UTC on May 03

▪︎ Geospace quiet
▪︎ Geomagnetic conditions now : Kp 0
▪︎ Solar wind speed record: 477 km/sec (Elevated speed)
▪︎ density: 6.39 p/cm³ (low density)
▪︎ Neutron Counts today: 0.25% (Above Average)
▪︎ X-ray Solar Flare: C2 at 03:22 UTC
▪︎ Sunspot number: 134 (SN 87 May 02)
▪︎ Spotless Days 2023 total: 0 days (0%)
SpaceWeatherlive..com
SpaceWeather.com

 

[Puma]

SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT MAY 04_2023

Solar activity has been at high levels for the past 24 hours. May 03 started with high solar activity with six M-class solar flares from AR3293 (N13E34) and several C-class events mainly from AR3288 (S22W84)

●A M4.2 from sunspot region 3293 occurred at 09:27 on May 03 it caused a Minor R1 radio blackout over Africa

●A M3.1 from sunspot region 3293 occurred at 10:14 UTC it caused a Minor R1 radio blackout over Africa.

●A M7.2 from sunspot region 3293 occurred at 10:45 UTC it caused a Moderate R2 radio blackout over Africa

https://twitter.com/x/status/1653716510379069440

https://twitter.com/x/status/1653720779484282882

●A M1.7 from sunspot region 3293 occurred at 12:35 UTC it caused a Minor R1 radio blackout over North Atlantic Ocean

●A M2.2 from sunspot region 3293 occurred at 13:50 UTC it caused a Minor R1 radio blackout over North Atlantic Ocean

https://twitter.com/x/status/1653770694033920000

https://twitter.com/x/status/1653927146358816768

●A M2 from sunspot region 3293 occurred at 14:30 UTC it caused a Minor R1 radio blackout over North Atlantic Ocean

INTENSIFYING SOLAR ACTIVITY: Sunspot complex AR3293-3296 is crackling with strong M-class solar flares--six of them today so far. This short movie from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory includes the stongest, an M7-class explosion:​

​

Pulses of extreme UV radiation are causing a rolling series of shortwave radio blackouts around the dayside of Earth. Loss of signal has been greatest over Africa where ham radio operators may have noticed fade-outs at all frequencies below 30 MHz. SpaceWeather.com​

There are currently 8 numbered sunspot regions on the solar disk: AR3285, AR3288, AR3289, AR3293, AR3294, AR3295, AR3296, AR3297, AR3291 is gone

The total number of sunspots has increased to 143 (63 of these are grouped into 8 active regions) NOAA forecasts for the next 24h: 99% chance for C flares, 55% chance for M flares and 15% chance for X flares.

Sunspot AR3293 has a weak 'delta-class' magnetic field that harbors energy for M-class solar flares.


● Auroral Activity

The geomagnetic field has been at quiet levels for the past 24 hours. solar wind speed reached a peak of 514 km/s (Moderately High speed) at 17:05 UTC on May 03

Aurora Oval Bz: -1.66 nT South


● Current Conditions at 04:30 UTC on May 04

▪︎ Geospace quiet
▪︎ Geomagnetic conditions now : Kp 1
▪︎ Solar wind speed record: 450.4 km/sec (Elevated speed)
▪︎ density: 5.06 p/cm³ (low density)
▪︎ Neutron Counts today: +0.40% (Above Average)
▪︎ X-ray Solar Flare: C4 at 02:15 UTC
▪︎ Sunspot number: 143 (SN 134 May 02)
▪︎ Spotless Days 2023 total: 0 days (0%)
SpaceWeatherlive..com
SpaceWeather.com

 

[Puma]

SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT MAY 05_2023

Solar activity has been at moderate levels for the past 24 hours. The largest solar event of the period was a M3.9 event observed at 0844 UTC on May 4 from Region 3296 (N16E34). It caused a R1 radio blackout over Africa and Asia

https://twitter.com/x/status/1654143967183683593

https://twitter.com/x/status/1654122001609658372

A mixed-up sunspot​

As our top image shows, an exciting complex of sunspot regions is appearing in the sun’s northeast quadrant. While sun activity has calmed a bit since yesterday, we are still at moderate levels because of M flares from two of these spots: AR3293 (on May 3) and AR3296 (at the time of this writing, 11 UTC on May 4). One interesting thing to note is that AR3296, which produced an M3.9 flare, appears to have a reversed magnetic polarity compared to the regions surrounding it. The sunspot group appears to be violating Hale’s law, which says sunspots in a single solar hemisphere will have the same polarity as other spots in that hemisphere. Sunspot polarity will be opposite in the opposite hemisphere, by the way, at any given time. And sunspot polarity in the sun’s two hemispheres will reverse with each solar cycle. So! Will the mixed-up polarity of AR3296 interact with other nearby sunspot groups to produce more activity? We’ll have to wait and see. EarthSky

There are currently 8 numbered sunspot regions on the solar disk: AR3289, AR3293, AR3294, AR3295, AR3296, AR3297 and new regions AR3298, AR3299
AR3285, AR3288, are gone

The total number of sunspots has increased to 139 (59 of these are grouped into 8 active regions) NOAA forecasts for the next 24h: 99% chance for C flares, 55% chance for M flares and 15% chance for X flares.

● Auroral Activity

The geomagnetic field has been at quiet levels for the past 24 hours. solar wind speed reached a peak of 450.4 km/s (Elevated speed) at 04:12 UTC on May 04

Aurora Oval Bz: -1.26 nT South

https://twitter.com/x/status/1654166565703516165

● Current Conditions at 04:00 UTC on May 05

▪︎ Geospace quiet
▪︎ Geomagnetic conditions now : Kp 2
▪︎ Solar wind speed record: 461.9 km/sec (Elevated speed)
▪︎ density: 5.61 p/cm³ (low density)
▪︎ Neutron Counts today: +0.6% (Above Average)
▪︎ X-ray Solar Flare: C2 at 00:57 UTC
▪︎ Sunspot number: 139 (SN 134 May 04)
▪︎ Spotless Days 2023 total: 0 days (0%)
SpaceWeatherlive..com
SpaceWeather.com

 

[Puma]

SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT MAY 06_2023

Solar activity has been at moderate levels for the past 24 hours. The largest solar event of the period was a M2 event observed at 0801 UTC on May 05 from Region 3296 (N16E20) it caused a Minor R1 radio blackout over India

https://twitter.com/x/status/1654441372026281985

Then at 15:31 UTC from the same region 3296 a M1.2 event was observed. It caused a Minor R1 radio blackout over North Atlantic Ocean

https://twitter.com/x/status/1654569630856347651

There are currently 5 numbered sunspot regions on the solar disk: AR3293, AR3294, AR3296, AR3297, AR3299
AR3289, AR3295 AR3298 are gone

The total number of sunspots has decreased to 90 (40 of these are grouped into 5 active regions) NOAA forecasts for the next 24h: 99% chance for C flares, 55% chance for M flares and 15% chance for X flares. All regions have stable magnetic fields.

● Auroral Activity

The geomagnetic field has been at quiet levels for the past 24 hours. solar wind speed reached a peak of 500 km/s (Moderately Elevated speed) at 14:13 UTC on May 05

THE EXPLOSIONS CONTINUE (UPDATED)
The explosions of May 5th hurled multiple overlapping CMEs into space: movie. NOAA analysts spent all day sorting out the storm clouds, and here is their forecast:

Minor (G1) to moderate (G2) geomagnetic storms are possible on May 7-8 when at least one CME is expected to hit Earth's magnetic field. An unrelated stream of solar wind might also contribute to the geomagnetic activity. During G2-class storms auroras have been sighted in the USA as far south as New York and Oregon. SpaceWeather.com

https://twitter.com/x/status/1654538693351206912

https://twitter.com/x/status/1654655084909805569

https://twitter.com/x/status/1654664548870135811

AN UNEXPECTED CME: An unexpected CME just swept across NOAA's DSCOVR spacecraft and it will soon hit Earth's magnetic field--probably around 01:30 UT on May 6th. The impact could spark G1 to G2-class geomagnetic storms with high-latitude auroras. Note: This should not be confused with another CME expected to arrive on May 7-8. SpaceWeather.com

Aurora Oval Bz: 12.2 nT North

● Current Conditions at 04:20 UTC on May 06

~ Active geomagnetic conditions (Kp4) threshold reached at 02:10 UTC.
~ Minor G1 geomagnetic storm (Kp5)
threshold reached at 02:53 UTC

▪︎ Solar wind speed record: 384.6 km/sec (Normal speed)
▪︎ density: 30.58 p/cm³ (Moderate density)
▪︎ Neutron Counts today: +0.6% (Above Average)
▪︎ X-ray Solar Flare: C9 at 22:27 UTC
▪︎ Sunspot number: 90 (SN 139 May 05)
▪︎ Spotless Days 2023 total: 0 days (0%)
SpaceWeatherlive..com
SpaceWeather.com

 

[Puma]

SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT MAY 07_2023

Solar activity has been at low levels for the past 24 hours. The largest solar event of the period was a C5.2 event observed at 04:02 UTC on May 06 from Region 3296

https://twitter.com/x/status/1655032770429632512

https://twitter.com/x/status/1655030155327295492

https://twitter.com/x/status/1654900735027433479

There are currently 5 numbered sunspot regions on the solar disk: AR3293, AR3294, AR3296, AR3297, AR3299

The total number of sunspots has decreased to 90 (49 of these are grouped into 5 active regions) NOAA forecasts for the next 24h: 99% chance for C flares, 55% chance for M flares and 15% chance for X flares. All regions have stable magnetic fields.

● Auroral Activity

The geomagnetic field has been at quiet to storm levels for the past 24 hours.Moderate G2 geomagnetic storm (Kp6) threshold reached at 04:50 UTC Solar wind speed reached a peak of 561 km/s (Moderately Elevated speed) at 10:37 UTC on May 06

STRONG GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH: NOAA has upgraded their forecast for the next geomagnetic storm from G2 (Moderate) to G3 (Strong). The storm is expected to begin late on May 7th, when an incoming CME strikes, intensifying on May 8th as Earth passes through the CME's magnetized wake. SpaceWeather.com

https://twitter.com/x/status/1655013295890354176

Aurora Oval Bz: -1.14 nT South


● Current Conditions at 04:00 UTC on May 07

▪︎ Geospace quiet
▪︎ Geomagnetic conditions now : Kp 1
▪︎ Solar wind speed record: 455.5 km/sec (Elevated speed)
▪︎ density: 5.86 p/cm³ (low density)
▪︎ Neutron Counts today: +1.1% (Above Average)
▪︎ X-ray Solar Flare: C4 at 21:57 UTC
▪︎ Sunspot number: 99 (SN 90 May 05)
▪︎ Spotless Days 2023 total: 0 days (0%)
SpaceWeatherlive..com
SpaceWeather.com

 

[Ca.]

Has anybody noticed fluctuations in the Sun's brightness, accompanied by an increase in intense UV light?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1654970420993609731

 

[Puma]

SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT MAY 08_2023

Solar activity has been at moderate levels for the past 24 hours. The largest solar event of the period was a M1.6 event observed at 22:23 UTC on May 07 from Region 3296 (N16W20) it caused a Minor R1 radio blackout over North Pacific Ocean

https://twitter.com/x/status/1655353773454237696

https://twitter.com/x/status/1655388416589144068

https://twitter.com/x/status/1655389520127295488

There are currently 5 numbered sunspot regions on the solar disk: AR3293, AR3294, AR3296, AR3297, AR3299

The total number of sunspots has increased to 99 (49 of these are grouped into 5 active regions) NOAA forecasts for the next 24h: 99% chance for C flares, 55% chance for M flares and 15% chance for X flares. All regions have stable magnetic fields.

● Auroral Activity

The geomagnetic field has been at quiet to active levels for the past 24 hours.Solar wind speed reached a peak of 542.4 km/s (Moderately Elevated speed) at 20:48 UTC on May 07

Aurora Oval Bz: -0.89 nT South

https://twitter.com/x/status/1655232740759855106

● Current Conditions at 05:10 UTC on May 08

▪︎ Minor G1 geomagnetic storm (Kp5) threshold reached at 02:18 UTC
▪︎ Geomagnetic conditions now : Kp 5
▪︎ Solar wind speed record: 505.7 km/sec (Moderately high speed)
▪︎ density: 9.63 p/cm³ (low density)
▪︎ Neutron Counts today: +0.4% (Above Average)
▪︎ X-ray Solar Flare: M1 at 23:23 UTC
▪︎ Sunspot number: 99 (SN 90 May 07)
▪︎ Spotless Days 2023 total: 0 days (0%)
SpaceWeatherlive..com
SpaceWeather.com

 

[dennis]

Ca. Said:
Has anybody noticed fluctuations in the Sun's brightness, accompanied by an increase in intense UV light?

Anecdotally, It seems to be more yellow recently. We've had some cloudless blue sky days and I've sort of had a feeling that its almost like there is a slight color shade or dimness to it.

It is still not known why the Sun's light is missing some colors. Here are all the visible colors of the Sun, produced by passing the Sun's light through a prism-like device. The spectrum was created at the McMath-Pierce Solar Observatory and shows, first off, that although our white-appearing Sun emits light of nearly every color, it does indeed appear brightest in yellow-green light. The dark patches in the above spectrum arise from gas at or above the Sun's surface absorbing sunlight emitted below. Since different types of gas absorb different colors of light, it is possible to determine what gasses compose the Sun. Helium, for example, was first discovered in 1870 on a solar spectrum and only later found here on Earth. Today, the majority of spectral absorption lines have been identified - but not all.

The Sun's Spectrum with its Missing Colors | Science Mission Directorate

It is still not known why the Sun's light is missing some colors. Here are all the visible colors of the Sun, produced by passing the Sun's light through a prism-like device. The spectrum was created at the McMath-Pierce Solar Observatory and shows, first off, that although our white-appearing...

science.nasa.gov

 

[Puma]

SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT MAY 09_2023

Solar activity has been at moderate levels for the past 24 hours. The largest solar event of the period was a M2.2 event observed at 29:25 UTC from Region 3296 ( N16W20) it caused a Minor R1 radio blackout over North Pacific Ocean

https://twitter.com/x/status/1655686847819833345

EARTH-DIRECTED SOLAR FLARE AND CME: Reversed-polarity sunspot AR3296 just did it again. The backwards active region exploded on May 7th (2234 UT), producing a long-lasting M1.5-class solar flare. The blast was squarely Earth-directed:​

​

Extreme ultraviolet radiation from the flare ionized the top of Earth's atmosphere, producing a minor shortwave radio blackout over the western USA and the Pacific Ocean: map. Mariners and ham radio operators may have noticed loss of signal at frequencies below 20 MHz for hours after the flare.

This explosion also hurled a CME toward Earth. SOHO coronagraphs recorded a full halo:​

SpaceWeather.com.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1655392779068125184

https://twitter.com/x/status/1655461335004766208

There are currently 5 numbered sunspot regions on the solar disk: AR3293, AR3294, AR3296, AR3297, AR3299

Total number of sunspots remains at 99 (53 of these are grouped into 5 active regions) NOAA forecasts for the next 24h: 99% chance for C flares, 55% chance for M flares and 20% chance for X flares.

Sunspots regions 3296 and 3297 have developed beta-gamma magnetic fields that harbor energy for M-class solar flares. They will be located in the Earth's hit zone in a few days.


● Auroral Activity

The geomagnetic field has been at quiet to minor storm levels for the past 24 hours.Solar wind speed reached a peak of 551 km/s (Moderately Elevated speed) at 15:52 UTC on May 08

https://twitter.com/x/status/1655541578763493376

POLAR CAP ABSORPTION EVENT:
Red zones in this global map show where shortwave transmissions are being absorbed. Frequencies below 15 MHz are almost completely blacked out, while anything below 35 MHz is being attentuated, at least a little.

What's causing this? Protons accelerated by the May 7th halo CME are now hitting our planet; it's an S1-class radiation storm. Earth's magnetic field funnels these particles toward the poles where their ionizing effect causes the absorption of shortwave radio. The PCA is intensifying; you can can monitor its progress here. SpaceWeather.com

Aurora Oval Bz: -2.3 nT South


● Current Conditions at 03:30 UTC on May 09

▪︎ Geospace active
▪︎ Geomagnetic conditions now : Kp 4
▪︎ Solar wind speed record: 458.7 km/sec (Elevated speed)
▪︎ density: 9.77 p/cm³ (low density)
▪︎ Neutron Counts today: -2.3% (Below Average)
▪︎ X-ray Solar Flare: M2 at 20:25 UTC
▪︎ Sunspot number: 99 (SN 99 May 08)
▪︎ Spotless Days 2023 total: 0 days (0%)
SpaceWeatherlive..com
SpaceWeather.com

 

[Puma]

SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT MAY 10_2023

Solar activity has been at high levels for the past 24 hours. Five M-class flares and several C-class were produced from AR3296 located on the northwest (N15W37)

● A M6.5 event occurred at 03:54 UTC and it caused a Moderate R2 radio blackout over South east Asia

https://twitter.com/x/status/1655784682535919617

● A M1.2 event occurred at 06:13 UTC and it caused a Minor R1 radio blackout over Asia

https://twitter.com/x/status/1655878361179095040

● A M1.3 event occurred at 10:20 UTC and it caused a Minor R1 radio blackout over Africa

● A M4.2 event occurred at 18:58 UTC and it caused a Minor R1 radio blackout over North America.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1656015588093837313

● A M5.0 event occurred at 20:52 UTC and it caused a Moderate R2 radio blackout over North Pacific Ocean.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1656044019804192789

https://twitter.com/x/status/1656039861676064792

The largest solar event of the period was a M6 event observed at 0354. There are currently 9 numbered sunspot regions on the solar disk: AR3293, AR3294, AR3296, AR3297, AR3299 and new regions AR3300, AR3301, AR3302. AR3303

Total number of sunspots has increased to 151 (61 of these are grouped into 5 active regions) NOAA forecasts for the next 24h: 99% chance for C flares, 65% chance for M flares and 20% chance for X flares.

Sunspots region 3296 has developed beta-gamma-delta magnetic field that harbor energy for M-class solar flares, while AR3297 continues with a gamma component.


● Auroral Activity

The geomagnetic field has been at quiet to active levels for the past 24 hours.Solar wind speed reached a peak of 508 km/s (Moderately Elevated speed) at 22:49 UTC on May 09

Aurora Oval Bz: 6.28 nT North


● Current Conditions at 04:30 UTC on May 10

▪︎ Minor G1 geomagnetic storm in progress
▪︎ Geomagnetic conditions now : Kp 5 threshold reached at 03:17 UTC
▪︎ Solar wind speed record: 555.8 km/sec (Moderately high speed)
▪︎ density: 16.03 p/cm³ (low density) at 02:25 UTC Solar wind density reached a density of 65.36 p/cm³ (Very high density)

▪︎ Neutron Counts today: -2.7% (Below Average)
▪︎ X-ray Solar Flare: C4 at 22:09 UTC
▪︎ Sunspot number: 151 (SN 99 May 09)
▪︎ Spotless Days 2023 total: 0 days (0%)
SpaceWeatherlive..com
SpaceWeather.com

 

[Puma]

SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT MAY 11_2023

Solar activity has been at moderate levels for the past 24 hours. The largest solar event of the period was a M2.2 event observed at 14:21 UTC on May 10 from Region 3296 (N15W49) it caused a Minor R1 radio blackout over North Atlantic Ocean

https://twitter.com/x/status/1656349971291963421

https://twitter.com/x/status/1656359316117676032

https://twitter.com/x/status/1656479066038435841

There are currently 8 numbered sunspot regions on the solar disk: AR3293, AR3294, AR3296, AR3297, AR3300, AR3301, AR3302. AR3303. AR3299 is gone

Total number of sunspots has increased to 154 (64 of these are grouped into 8 active regions) NOAA forecasts for the next 24h: 99% chance for C flares, 60% chance for M flares and 20% chance for X flares.

Sunspots region 3296 is decaying and now has a beta-gamma magnetic field.

● Auroral Activity

The geomagnetic field has been at quiet to minor storm levels for the past 24 hours.Solar wind speed reached a peak of 680 km/s (Moderately Elevated speed) at 11:39 UTC on May 10

GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH: Intermittent geomagnetic storms are likely for the next 48 hours in response to a CME that struck Earth on May 9th and another CME that will strike Earth on May 11th. Storm levels could reach category G2 with a slight chance of G3. SpaceWeather.com

Aurora Oval Bz: -0.46 nT South


● Current Conditions at 04:00 UTC on May 11

▪︎ Geospace unsettled
▪︎ Geomagnetic conditions now : Kp 3
▪︎ Solar wind speed record: 570.8 km/sec (Moderately high speed)
▪︎ density: 2 p/cm³ (low density)
▪︎ Neutron Counts today: -4.4% (Below Average)
▪︎ X-ray Solar Flare: C4 at 22:16 UTC
▪︎ Sunspot number: 154 (SN 151 May 10)
▪︎ Spotless Days 2023 total: 0 days (0%)
SpaceWeatherlive..com
SpaceWeather.com