Sol (Sun) and its phenomena

[Puma]

SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT MAY 05

▪︎Latest Solar wind speed record: 490.7 km/sec
▪︎density: 2.21 protons/cm3
▪︎Neutron Counts today: 6.1% High
▪︎Sunspot number: 64 (SN 53 may 04)
▪︎Geomagnetic conditions now Kp1 quiet
▪︎The sunspot group located in the southeast is now identified as AR3006 with 3 visible sunspots
▪︎Only four active regions remain AR3006 (SN 3) AR3004 (SN 34) , AR3001 (SN 1) and AR2999 (SN 1)

SpaceWeather.com

SIZZLING SUNSPOT: In the past 24 hours, sunspot AR3004 has produced more than 18 solar flares (15+ C-class flares and 3 M-flares). Indeed, it's almost impossible to catch the sunspot not flaring. SpaceWeather.com

COMET' MERCURY: On May 1st, Mercury's comet-like tail reached its maximum brightness for this orbit around the sun. Dr. Sebastian Voltmer photographed it from La Palma in the Canary Islands

https://twitter.com/x/status/1521298961247711234

 

[Puma]

SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT MAY 06

▪︎Latest Solar wind speed record: 355.3 km/sec
▪︎density: 1.10 protons/cm3
▪︎Neutron Counts today: 5.8% High
▪︎Sunspot number: 85 (SN 64 may 05)
▪︎Geomagnetic conditions now Kp1 quiet
▪︎AR3004 (SN 24) has a 'delta-class' magnetic field that harbors energy for M- and X-class solar flares.
▪︎AR3006 (SN 4) will be facing Earth next week. It produced X class flare on May 3

https://twitter.com/x/status/1522222216707989504

https://twitter.com/x/status/1522387727483822081

ANOTHER SUNSPOT IS APPROACHING: A new and potentially active sunspot group is hiding just behind the sun's southeastern limb. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory photographed plumes of debris thrown up by a partially eclipsed solar flare on May 5th SpaceWeather.com

https://twitter.com/x/status/1522359126960926721

 

[Puma]

SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT MAY 07

▪︎Geospace remains very quiet
▪︎Latest Solar wind speed record: 304.1 km/sec
▪︎density: 1.51 protons/cm3
▪︎Neutron Counts today: 6.0% High
▪︎Sunspot number: 64 (SN 85 may 06)
▪︎Geomagnetic conditions now Kp=0 quiet
▪︎A new large sunspot is coming over the southeast limb. It has not shown any signs of flaring activity as yet.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1522584058265538561

 

[Puma]

SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT MAY 08

▪︎Geospace remains very quiet
▪︎Latest Solar wind speed record: 333.7 km/sec
▪︎density: 1.79 protons/cm3
▪︎Neutron Counts today: 6.2% High
▪︎Sunspot number: 66 (SN 64 may 07)
▪︎Geomagnetic conditions now Kp=1 quiet

MAGNETIC FILAMENTS ON THE SUN: When we think of solar flares, we think of sunspots. But sunspots are not the only sources of explosions on the sun. Magnetic filaments can do the job, too, and right now there are a lot of them. Andy Devey sends this picture from southern Spain:

All of the dark snake-like features are magnetic filaments. Each one is an enormous tube of dense plasma held aloft by magnetic fields. The longest stretches more than 400,000 km from end to end--about the same as the distance from Earth to the Moon.

Magnetic filaments are famously unstable. When they explode, debris can fall to the surface of the sun, triggering a type of solar flare known as a "Hyder flare." Filament eruptions are also very good at hurling CMEs into space

SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids

 

[Puma]

SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT MAY 09

▪︎Geospace remains very quiet
▪︎Latest Solar wind speed record: 310.5 km/sec
▪︎density: 9.06 protons/cm3
▪︎Neutron Counts today: 6.4% High
▪︎Sunspot number: 89 (SN 66 may 08)
▪︎Geomagnetic conditions now Kp=2 quiet
▪︎New sunspot AR3007 (SN 6 magnetic class Beta) poses a threat for M-class solar flares.

▪︎Solar flare Forecast for today. Solar flare class C 99% (minor) solar flare class M 30% (moderate) solar flare class X5% (strong)

Something happens to sunspots with energy to produce strong to moderate solar flares when they are in front of Earth. In recent weeks, the activity of sunspot groups such as the AR2993-94 complex was inhibited once they faced the earth and once they were on the far side they returned to show strong activity. The newly mapped region AR3007 produced a solar flare X1.1 on May 3rd and this week it will be facing the earth it will be interesting to follow its activity.

CME watch

https://twitter.com/x/status/1523492096300048386

C2.0 Solar flare from AR3007

https://twitter.com/x/status/1523529392583892992

Filament eruption on May 6

https://twitter.com/x/status/1522819054595047424

 

[Puma]

SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT MAY 10

▪︎Geospace remains extremely quiet
▪︎Latest Solar wind speed record: 296.9 km/sec
▪︎density: 8.61 protons/cm3
▪︎Neutron Counts today: 5.5% High
▪︎Sunspot number: 71 (SN 89 may 08)
▪︎Geomagnetic conditions now Kp=1 quiet
▪︎Sunspot AR3006 has a mixed-up delta-class magnetic field that harbors energy for M-class solar flare.

A MIXED-UP MAGNETIC FIELD: Sunspot AR3006 is having an identity crisis. It is supposed to have a +/- magnetic field. Mostly it does. But deep inside the sunspot's primary core, the polarity is opposite: -/+. Note the circled region in this magnetic map of the sunspot from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory:

The mixture of magnetic polarities makes this sunspot interesting and dangerous. When opposite polarities bump together, it can light the fuse of magnetic reconnection--the explosive power source of solar flares. If AR3006 flares today, it will be geoeffective. The sunspot is directly facing Earth. SpaceWeather.com

▪︎Massive Prominence eruption in the southwest limb

https://twitter.com/x/status/1524003524165738498

 

[Puma]

X FLARE

X1.5 solar flare observed today around Earth facing sunspot region AR3006 at 13:55 UTC. More info regarding a possible CME later today

This was preceded by an eruption in AR3007 (southeast limb)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1524051795110027264

https://twitter.com/x/status/1524042298564222976

https://twitter.com/x/status/1524039851502354434

Strong R3 radio blackout over North Atlantic
Ocean

https://twitter.com/x/status/1524027294418980866

 

[Puma]

SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT MAY 11

▪︎Geospace remains quiet
(outer space near Earth: upper atmosphere, ionosphere as well as the magnetosphere)
▪︎Latest Solar wind speed record: 311.4 km/sec
▪︎density: 14.32 protons/cm3
▪︎Neutron Counts today: 5.6% High
▪︎Sunspot number: 62 (SN 71 may 10)
▪︎Geomagnetic conditions now Kp=1 quiet
▪︎Solar wind flowing from a coronal hole on the northeast limb should reach Earth on May 16-17
▪︎Two regions remain AR3006 and AR3007
▪︎An X1 flare from AR3006 (13:55 UTC May 10) plus a long-duration M1 flare from AR3007
▪︎It is unknown if there was a coronal mass ejection from the X-class solar flare.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1524068230104420352

Since the flare occurred, a mish-mash of CMEs has billowed away from the sun's southern hemisphere. It is unclear if these CMEs are related to the X-flare or instead some other, lesser explosions that happened at almost the same time. There was a filament eruption to the right of the X-flare, and a C4-class solar flare in a different sunspot to the left. NOAA analysts are busy unraveling these events using computer models to determine if one of the CMEs might hit Earth. SpaceWeather.com

▪︎Farside activity on the southeast limb

https://twitter.com/x/status/1524330024509267968

https://twitter.com/x/status/1524193942283161600

 

[Puma]

SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT MAY 12

▪︎Geospace remains quiet
▪︎Latest Solar wind speed record: 302.3 km/sec
▪︎density: 17.02 protons/cm3
▪︎Neutron Counts today: 6.4% High
▪︎Sunspot number: 84 (SN 62 may 11)
▪︎Geomagnetic conditions now Kp=1 quiet
▪︎Four regions visible now. AR3006 (SN 27)
AR3007 (SN 34) Two new regions AR3008 (SN 5) AR3009 (SN 6)
▪︎An M1.6 flare from AR3007 produced a minor R1 Radio blackout over North America (16:56 UTC May 11)
▪︎An M2.6 flare from AR3004 produced a R1 Radio blackout over North America (19:06 UTC May 11) this region is the far side on the West limb
▪︎No energetic particles followed X1.5 flare no big CME was launched so no event to aurora chasers.

THE SUN CAN'T SHOOT STRAIGHT: So far this week, the sun has flared more than 20 times and hurled nearly as many CMEs into space. Not one of the storm clouds is heading for Earth. Yesterday's coronagraph movie from SOHO shows major CMEs flying to the left and to the right of our planet:

SpaceWeather.com.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1524470625200488449

https://twitter.com/x/status/1524693029046599682

https://twitter.com/x/status/1524482596977086469

 

[Puma]

SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT MAY 13

▪︎Geospace remains quiet
▪︎Latest Solar wind speed record: 317.1 km/sec
▪︎density: 5.72 protons/cm3
▪︎Neutron Counts today: 6.4% High
▪︎Sunspot number: 112 (SN 84 may 12)
▪︎Geomagnetic conditions now Kp=2 quiet
▪︎new assigned AR3010 (SN 4 magnetic classification beta, southeast limb)
▪︎Solar flare M1.36 beyond northeast limb produced a minor R1 Radio blackout over North America (20:35 UTC May 12)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1524855599262998528

SUNQUAKE "We have just detected the first sunquake of Solar Cycle 25," announces Dr Alexander Kosovichev, who is now a professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). "It rippled away from the X1.5-class solar flare of May 10, 2022."

They named the tremors "sunquakes"--much like earthquakes except incredibly more powerful. A typical sunquake contains 40,000 times the energy released in the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906. SpaceWeather.com

 

[Puma]

SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT MAY 14

▪︎Geospace remains quiet
▪︎Latest Solar wind speed record: 351.2 km/sec
▪︎density: 15.32 protons/cm3
▪︎Neutron Counts today: 6.3% High
▪︎Sunspot number: 120 (SN 112 may 13)
▪︎Geomagnetic conditions now Kp=2 quiet
▪︎new assigned regions AR3011 (SN 3, magnetic classification beta, northeast limb) AR3012 (SN 2 magnetic classification beta, near AR3007) according to SDO NASA data

SpaceWeather.com

▪︎A coronal hole in the northern hemisphere is in position facing the earth. Solar wind flowing from coronal hole should reach Earth on May 16-17

https://twitter.com/x/status/1525268621886365697

▪︎Moderate activity in the next 24 hours

https://twitter.com/x/status/1525457937585557505

 

[Puma]

SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT MAY 15

▪︎Latest Solar wind speed record: 526 km/sec
▪︎density: 9.14 protons/cm3
▪︎Neutron Counts today: 6% High
▪︎Sunspot number: 105 (SN 120 may 14)
▪︎Geomagnetic conditions now Kp=2 quiet
▪︎A high speed stream from a coronal hole hit the earth and disturbed geospace. Planetary index Kp=4 disturbed at 02:47 UTC May 15 (11 hours ago)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1525808347982835713

▪︎M2.2 Solar Flare on the northeastern limb (00:08 UTC) produced a minor R1 Radio blackout over Southeast Asia.

SOMETHING FLARE-Y THIS WAY COMES: An active sunspot hiding just behind the sun's northeastern limb is crackling with C- and M-class solar flares. Later today it will rotate into view, commencing a 2-week trip across the Earthside of the sun. SpaceWeather.com

https://twitter.com/x/status/1525640475981537282

▪another return or another dud...New sunspot AR3011 may be an old friend--the leading edge of active sunspot complex AR2993-94 returning from a two week trip around the farside of the sun.

 

[Puma]

SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT MAY 16

▪︎Geospace quiet again with a high speed solar wind (>500 km/s)
▪︎Latest Solar wind speed record: 522.9 km/sec
▪︎density: 9.47 protons/cm3
▪︎Neutron Counts today: 5.6% High
▪︎Sunspot number: 129 (SN 105 may 15)
▪︎Geomagnetic conditions now Kp=3 quiet
▪︎new assigned regions AR3013 (SN 1, magnetic classification alfa, size 10MH ) AR3014 (SN 7 magnetic classification beta, size 100MH) and AR3015 (SN 4 magnetic classification beta, size 60MH) according to SDO NASA data.
▪︎NOAA forecasters estimate a 35% chance of M-class solar flares on May 16th. The most likely source would be sunspot complex AR3011-14-15,

How is the size of a sunspot region determined?

The area of sunspot groups is expressed in "millionths of a solar hemisphere" (MH), with 1000MH corresponding to 3,043.7 million square kilometers. This means that a sunspot group having an area coverage of 1870MH covers 0.187 percent of the earth-facing solar surface. SpaceWeatherLive.com

▪︎ A large number of C flares past 24 hours
▪︎Moderate M2 4 solar flare on the northeastern limb (13:27 UTC May 16 ) produced a minor R1 Radio blackout over North Atlantic Ocean region

https://twitter.com/x/status/1526196580751224834

https://twitter.com/x/status/1526191799617847297

 

[Puma]

SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT MAY 17

▪︎Geospace quiet despite high speed solar wind (>500 km/s)
▪︎Latest Solar wind speed record: 573.9 km/sec
▪︎density: 10.88 protons/cm3
▪︎Neutron Counts today: 5.8% High
▪︎Sunspot number: 173 (SN 129 may 16)
▪︎Geomagnetic conditions now Kp=3 quiet
▪︎new assigned regions AR3016 (SN 3, magnetic classification alfa, size 100MH ) and AR3017 (SN 4, magnetic classification beta-gamma, size 20MH )
▪︎AR3017 produced the M2.4 solar flare yesterday

https://twitter.com/x/status/1526258244695384066

▪︎AR3014 is growing rapidly. (SN 7 may 16 now SN 13) it has mixed polarity magnetic fields inside its primary core--a recipe for strong solar flares (magnetic classification beta-delta, size 140MH). SDO/HMI

FARSIDE SUNSPOTS: Today, there are 8 sunspot groups on the solar disk--the most in years. Get ready for two more. NASA's STEREO-A spacecraft is monitoring a pair of extreme ultraviolet hotspots behind the sun's eastern limb. It is probably the glow of two more sunspot groups. The active regions will rotate into view by mid-week. SpaceWeather.com

▪︎Oddly the regions in the east seem to all be growing and those in the west decaying.

▪︎ Minor CME

https://twitter.com/x/status/1526389780916973569

 

[Puma]

SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT MAY 18

▪︎Geospace still quiet
▪︎Latest Solar wind speed record: 481.0 km/sec
▪︎density: 6.47 protons/cm3
▪︎Neutron Counts today: 5.6% High
▪︎Sunspot number: 153 (SN 173 may 16)
▪︎Geomagnetic conditions now Kp=2 quiet
▪︎new assigned AR3018 (SN 3, magnetic classification beta, size 70MH )
▪︎AR3014 still growing (now SN 21, magnetic classification beta-gamma, size 850MH). poses a threat for strong M-class solar flares. SDO/HMI

https://twitter.com/x/status/1526865385663909888

https://twitter.com/x/status/1526748299276996609