Sol (Sun) and its phenomena

SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT OCTOBER 14_2023

THE SUN REMAINS CALM AS IT WAITS FOR THE MOON. Solar activity has been at low levels for the past 24 hours. The largest solar event of the period was a C1 event observed at 16:09 UTC on October 13
RING OF FIRE SOLAR ECLIPSE--TODAY: If you're in the Americas, you can witness a solar eclipse today. The action begins at daybreak on Saturday, Oct. 14th, when the Moon's shadow makes landfall on the Pacific coast of North America; it ends at sunset in Brazil. At peak coverage, the Moon will turn the sun into a bright "ring of fire."
SpaceWeather.com​

There are currently 7 sunspot regions on the solar disk:AR3460, AR3461, AR3462, AR3463 AR3464, AR3465, AR3466
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AR3454 is gone

Total number of sunspots has decreased to 91 (35 of these are grouped into 7 active regions) NOAA forecasts for the next 24h: 95% chance for C flares, 25% chance M flares and 1% chance for X flares.

AR3460 continues with beta-gamma magnetic fields harboring energy for M-class flares.​

● Auroral Activity

The geomagnetic field has been at quiet to active levels (Kp4) for the past 24 hours. On October 13 solar wind speed reached a peak of 510 km/s (Moderately high speed) at 17:10 UTC Total IMF reached 24 nT at 08:29 UTC (strong impact to Earth magnetic field)

Aurora Oval Bz: 1.81 nT North
aurora-map.jpg
● Current Conditions at 05:00 UTC on October 14

▪︎ Geospace quiet (kp 2)
▪︎ Solar wind speed record: 529 km/sec (Moderately high speed)
▪︎ density: 0.03 p/cm³ (low density)
▪︎ Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF)
Bt: 3.81 nT
▪︎ Neutron Counts today: - 2.7 % (Low)
▪︎ X-ray Solar Flare: C1 0145 UT Oct14
▪︎ Sunspot number: 91 (SN 126 October 13)
▪︎ Spotless Days 2023 total: 0 days (0%)
▪︎ There are no significant coronal holes on the Earthside of the sun
..
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SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT OCTOBER 15_2023

THE FORECAST CALLS FOR QUIET: With no CMEs heading for Earth and no solar flares in the offing, the forecast calls for quiet. Solar and geomagnetic activity should remain low for the rest of the weekend. SpaceWeather.com

Solar Eclipse. The image was taken in Bogota, Colombia.
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Solar activity has been at low levels for the past 24 hours. The largest solar event of the period was a C9 event observed at 05:15 UTC on October 14 from AR3460 (S10W57)

There are currently 7 sunspot regions on the solar disk:AR3460, AR3462, AR3463 AR3464, AR3465, AR3466 and new region AR3467
hmi200.jpg
AR3461 is alpha

Total number of sunspots has increased to 100 (30 of these are grouped into 7 active regions) NOAA forecasts for the next 24h: 80% chance for C flares, 20% chance M flares and 1% chance for X flares.

AR3460 continues with beta-gamma magnetic fields harboring energy for M-class flares.

Sunspots on the Earth-viewed side of the sun are either stable or in decay. Only active region AR3460 shows a beta-gamma complexity. The rest show a beta configuration or even an alpha.
EarthSky.org

● Auroral Activity

The geomagnetic field has been at quiet to unsettled levels (Kp3) for the past 24 hours. On October 14 solar wind speed reached a peak of 548 km/s (Moderately high speed) at 02:02 UTC Total IMF reached 16 nT at 2151 UTC

Aurora Oval Bz: 1.31 nT North
aurora-map.jpg
● Current Conditions at 04:25 UTC on October 15

▪︎ Geospace quiet (kp 1)
▪︎ Solar wind speed record: 460 km/sec (Elevated speed)
▪︎ density: 0.48 p/cm³ (low density)
▪︎ Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF)
Bt: 2.51 nT
▪︎ Neutron Counts today: - 2.7 % (Low)
▪︎ X-ray Solar Flare: C2 0248 UT Oct15
▪︎ Sunspot number: 100 (SN 91 October 14)
▪︎ Spotless Days 2023 total: 0 days (0%)
▪︎ There are no significant coronal holes on the Earthside of the sun
..
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EarthSky.org
 
SOLAR CYCLE ACTIVITY REPORT OCTOBER 16_2023

Solar activity has been at low levels for the past 24 hours. The largest solar event of the period was a C3 event observed at 16:33 UTC on October 15 from AR3464 (N04W06)


A SOLAR ANTI-FLARE? To detect solar flares, Earth-orbiting satellites monitor X-rays. A big flare can boost the sun's X-ray luminosity by orders of magnitude. On Oct. 14th, the opposite happened. The sun's X-ray output suddenly dropped. Was it an anti-flare? For the answer, watch this movie from NOAA's GOES-16 satellite. SpaceWeather.com

There are currently 6 sunspot regions on the solar disk:AR3460, AR3463 AR3464, AR3465, AR3466, AR3467
hmi200.gif
AR3462 is gone

Total number of sunspots has decreased to 92 (32 of these are grouped into 6 active regions) NOAA forecasts for the next 24h: 80% chance for C flares, 20% chance M flares and 1% chance for X flares. All regions have stable magnetic fields

● Auroral Activity

The geomagnetic field has been at quiet levels (Kp2) for the past 24 hours. On October 15 solar wind speed reached a peak of 497 km/s (Elevated speed) at 21:03 UTC

Aurora Oval Bz: -1.02 nT South
aurora-map.jpg

● Current Conditions at 04:15 UTC on October 16

▪︎ Geospace quiet (kp 2)
▪︎ Solar wind speed record: 374 km/sec (Normal speed)
▪︎ density: 0.25 p/cm³ (low density)
▪︎ Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF)
Bt: 2.76 nT
▪︎ Neutron Counts today: - 3.0 % (Low)
▪︎ X-ray Solar Flare: C1 0353 UT Oct16
▪︎ Sunspot number: 92 (SN 100 October 15)
▪︎ Spotless Days 2023 total: 0 days (0%)
▪︎ There are no significant coronal holes on the Earthside of the sun
..
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EarthSky.org
 
SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT OCTOBER 17_2023

Solar activity has been at low levels for the past 24 hours. The largest solar event of the period was a C9 event observed at 16:06 UTC on October 16 from a incoming region on the northeast

Monday blues? Sun still on break​

The fun eclipse weekend is over for most of us. But the sun is still taking a bit of a break. All of the current sunspot regions are small in size and magnetically simple. Sun activity remains low, with a trickle of solar flares. EarthSky.org
SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES! Looking over the NE limb of the Sun we can see a region that is very active, and just produced a C9 flare from behind the limb (so was probably much larger). Hopefully this will be a growing region when it rotates on to the disk, not a dying one.

MASSIVE EXPLOSION ON THE SUN: A long-duration flare expelled a large mass of plasma from the Sun. The dark filament on the disk is rooted in the bright spot region. It becomes unstable and explodes away from the Sun (compare to size of the Earth). It is too far east to affect us.

There are currently 7 sunspot regions on the solar disk:AR3460, AR3463 AR3464, AR3465, AR3466, AR3467 and new region AR3468
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Total number of sunspots has increased to 106 (36 of these are grouped into 7 active regions) NOAA forecasts for the next 24h: 80% chance for C flares, 20% chance M flares and 1% chance for X flares. All regions have stable magnetic fields

● Auroral Activity

The geomagnetic field has been at quiet levels (Kp2) for the past 24 hours. On October 16 solar wind speed reached a peak of 397 km/s (Normal speed) at 21:23 UTC Total IMF reached 3.11 nT at 05:10 UTC

GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH (G1): A magnetic filament connected to sunspot AR3467 erupted today, Oct. 16th, and hurled a CME into space. It is not heading directly for Earth. However, NASA models suggest it might deliver a glancing blow late on Oct. 19th. If so, the off-target CME could cause a minor G1-class geomagnetic storm. SpaceWeather.com

Aurora Oval Bz: 1.23 nT North
aurora-map.jpg

● Current Conditions at 04:45 UTC on October 17

▪︎ Geospace quiet (kp 1)
▪︎ Solar wind speed record: 318 km/sec (Normal speed)
▪︎ density: 1.46 p/cm³ (low density)
▪︎ Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF)
Bt: 2.33 nT
▪︎ Neutron Counts today: - 3.0 % (Low)
▪︎ X-ray Solar Flare: C1 0210 UT Oct17
▪︎ Sunspot number: 106 (SN 92 October 16)
▪︎ Spotless Days 2023 total: 0 days (0%)
▪︎ There are no significant coronal holes on the Earthside of the sun
..
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SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT OCTOBER 18_2023

Solar activity has been at low levels for the past 24 hours. The largest solar event of the period was a C2 event observed at 05:05 UTC on October 17 from Region 3463 (S17W44).

There are currently 6 sunspot regions on the solar disk: AR3463 AR3464, AR3465, AR3466, AR3467, AR3468
hmi200.gif
AR3460 is gone

Total number of sunspots has decreased to 57 (36 of these are grouped into 6 active regions) NOAA forecasts for the next 24h: 70% chance for C flares, 10% chance M flares and 1% chance for X flares. All regions have stable magnetic fields

● Auroral Activity

The geomagnetic field has been at quiet levels (Kp1) for the past 24 hours. On October 17 solar wind speed reached a peak of 338 km/s (Normal speed) at 21:40 UTC Total IMF reached 3.11 nT at 05:10 UTC

GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH (G1): A magnetic filament connected to sunspot AR3467 erupted on Oct. 16th, hurling a CME into space. It is not heading directly for Earth. However, a NASA model suggests it might deliver a glancing blow late on Oct. 19th. If so, the off-target CME could cause a minor G1-class geomagnetic storm
SpaceWeather.com
Flare-and-Filament-Oct.-16-2023-SDO-304-131.gif
Sun activity for October 16-17, 2023. This two-panel display shows the sun in wavelengths of 304 angstrom on the left and 131 angstrom on the right. First, you can see a very quick filament eruption near the sun’s limb (edge) around 11:30 UTC, October 16. Then, higher on the northeast limb, a C9.9 flare was fired at around 16:00 UTC. The flare was almost certainly actually an M flare, since it occurred beyond the horizon and so was partly blocked by the sun. Images via SDO and JHelioviewer. EarthSky.org

Aurora Oval Bz: -0.96 nT South
aurora-map.jpg

● Current Conditions at 04:00 UTC on October 18

▪︎ Geospace quiet (kp 0)
▪︎ Solar wind speed record: 326 km/sec (Normal speed)
▪︎ density: 10.63 p/cm³ (low density)
▪︎ Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF)
Bt: 5.61 nT
▪︎ Neutron Counts today: - 2.3 % (Low)
▪︎ X-ray Solar Flare: C1 0212 UT Oct18
▪︎ Sunspot number: 57 (SN 106 October 17)
▪︎ Spotless Days 2023 total: 0 days (0%)
▪︎ There are no significant coronal holes on the Earthside of the sun
..
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EarthSky.org
 
SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT OCTOBER 19_2023

THE SUN WAS EATEN BY THE MOON (as ancient Mesoamerican cultures believed after an Eclipse happened). Solar activity has been at very low levels for the past 24 hours. There were no significant solar flares recorded on the Earth-facing side in the past 24 hours. As reported yesterday, the number of sunspots dropped precipitously from 107 to 56 and today only three regions remain active.

There are currently 3 sunspot regions on the solar disk: AR3464, AR3465, AR3468
hmi200.gif
AR3463, AR3466 & AR3468 are gone

Total number of sunspots has decreased to 54 (24 of these are grouped into 3 active regions) NOAA forecasts for the next 24h: 60% chance for C flares, 5% chance M flares and 1% chance for X flares. All regions have stable magnetic fields

● Auroral Activity

The geomagnetic field has been at quiet to unsettled levels (Kp3) for the past 24 hours. On October 18 solar wind speed reached a peak of 473 km/s (Elevated speed) at 16:41 UTC Total IMF reached 34 nT at 18:13UTC

A strong impact on the Earth's magnetic field is usually associated with the strengthening of meteorological, volcanic or tectonic phenomena.

This seems to be the case
#Norma strengthens to a hurricane!
Location: 545 km from Manzanillo
Wind: 130 km/h
Movement: north at 15 km/h
⚠️ It will be a major hurricane (cat 3 or 4) approaching BCS over the weekend with a somewhat uncertain path:
Scenario 1: open ocean
️Scenario 2: toward Sinaloa

GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH: A minor G1-class geomagnetic storm is possible today, Oct. 19th, when a CME is expected to graze Earth's magnetic field. The CME was hurled into space 3 days ago by an erupting magnetic filament connected to sunspot AR3467. That sunspot no longer exists, but the debris from its explosion should arrive later today. SpaceWeather.com

Aurora Oval Bz: -3.49 nT South
aurora-map.jpg

● Current Conditions at 04:50 UTC on October 19

▪︎ Geospace unsettled (kp 3)
▪︎ Solar wind speed record: 388 km/sec (Normal speed)
▪︎ density: 3.37 p/cm³ (low density)
▪︎ Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF)
Bt: 6.44 nT
▪︎ Neutron Counts today: - 2.0 % (Low)
▪︎ X-ray Solar Flare: C1 0152 UT Oct19
▪︎ Sunspot number: 54 (SN 57 October 18)
▪︎ Spotless Days 2023 total: 0 days (0%)
▪︎ There are no significant coronal holes on the Earthside of the sun
..
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EarthSky.org
 
SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT OCTOBER 20_2023

Solar activity has been at low levels for the past 24 hours. The largest solar event of the period was a C2 event observed at 1400 UTC


There are currently 3 sunspot regions on the solar disk: AR3464, AR3465, AR3468
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SUNSPOT NUMBER DROPS: The Sun has been unusually quiet this last week, with few flares and CMEs, the X-ray background below C1 level, and sunspot number dropping to a 6-month low. Solar cycles often have several peaks, this my signal the end of the first peak. Keith Strong vía X
20231019_220630.png

Total number of sunspots has decreased to 39 (9 of these are grouped into 3 active regions) NOAA forecasts for the next 24h: 60% chance for C flares, 5% chance M flares and 1% chance for X flares. All regions have stable magnetic fields​

● Auroral Activity

The geomagnetic field has been at quiet to active levels (Kp4) for the past 24 hours. On October 19 solar wind speed reached a peak of 419 km/s (Elevated speed) at 02:01 UTC Total IMF reached 8 nT at 10:03 UTC

POSSIBLE CME IMPACT (UPDATED): Solar wind data from NOAA's DSCOVR spacecraft suggest that a CME may have grazed Earth's magnetic field midday on Oct. 18th. It could be the early arrival of a CME expected today--or a previously unrecognized CME taking us by surprise. Either way, it sparked naked-eye auroras over parts of Canada and Norway, and very faint photographic auroras as far south as Nebraska. SpaceWeather.com​

Aurora Oval Bz: 0.7 nT North
aurora-map.jpg

● Current Conditions at 04:50 UTC on October 19

▪︎ Geospace unsettled (kp 3)
▪︎ Solar wind speed record: 346.6 km/sec (Normal speed)
▪︎ density: 1.07 p/cm³ (low density)
▪︎ Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF)
Bt: 2.87 nT
▪︎ Neutron Counts today: - 2.0 % (Low)
▪︎ X-ray Solar Flare: C1 0239 UT Oct20
▪︎ Sunspot number: 39 (SN 54 October 19)
▪︎ Spotless Days 2023 total: 0 days (0%)
▪︎ There are no significant coronal holes on the Earthside of the sun
..
SpaceWeatherlive.com
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EarthSky.org
 
SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT OCTOBER 21_2023

Solar activity has been at low levels for the past 24 hours. The largest solar event of the period was a C2 event observed at 0500 UTC on October 20

There are currently 4 sunspot regions on the solar disk: AR3464, AR3465, AR3468 and new region AR3469
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Total number of sunspots has increased to 56 (9 of these are grouped into 4 active regions) NOAA forecasts for the next 24h: 60% chance for C flares, 5% chance M flares and 1% chance for X flares. All regions have stable magnetic fields

● Auroral Activity

The geomagnetic field has been at quiet levels (Kp2) for the past 24 hours. On October 20 solar wind speed reached a peak of 378 km/s (Normal speed) at 12:08 UTC Total IMF reached 10 nT at 17:43 UTC

Aurora Oval Bz: -8.47 nT South
aurora-map.jpg

● Current Conditions at 04:50 UTC on October 21

▪︎ Geospace active (kp 4)
▪︎ Solar wind speed record: 330 km/sec (Normal speed)
▪︎ density: 10.46 p/cm³ (low density)
▪︎ Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF)
Bt: 10 nT
▪︎ Neutron Counts today: - 2.5 % (Low)
▪︎ X-ray Solar Flare: C2 0030 UT Oct21
▪︎ Sunspot number: 56 (SN 39 October 20)
▪︎ Spotless Days 2023 total: 0 days (0%)
▪︎ There are no significant coronal holes on the Earthside of the sun
..
SpaceWeatherlive.com
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EarthSky.org
 
SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT OCTOBER 22_2023

ALL QUIET. Solar activity has been at low levels for the past 24 hours. The largest solar event of the period was a C2 event observed at 0030 UTC on October 21 from Region 3467 (N14W26).

There are currently 6 sunspot regions on the solar disk: AR3464, AR3465, AR3467,AR3468, AR3469 and new region AR3470
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Total number of sunspots has increased to 65 (18 of these are grouped into 6 active regions) NOAA forecasts for the next 24h: 50% chance for C flares, 5% chance M flares and 1% chance for X flares. All regions have stable magnetic fields

● Auroral Activity

The geomagnetic field has been at quiet to minor storm levels (Kp5) for the past 24 hours. On October 21 solar wind speed reached a peak of 358 km/s (Normal speed) at 03:38 UTC Total IMF reached 10 nT at 04:29 UTC

Aurora Oval Bz: 0.17 nT North
aurora-map.jpg

● Current Conditions at 05:00 UTC on October 22

▪︎ Geospace quiet (kp 2)
▪︎ Solar wind speed record: 301 km/sec (Normal speed)
▪︎ density: 2.62 p/cm³ (low density)
▪︎ Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF)
Bt: 7.53 nT
▪︎ Neutron Counts today: - 2.5 % (Low)
▪︎ X-ray Solar Flare: B5 0204 UT Oct22
▪︎ Sunspot number: 65 (SN 56 October 21)
▪︎ Spotless Days 2023 total: 0 days (0%)
▪︎ There are no significant coronal holes on the Earthside of the sun
..
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EarthSky.org
 
SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT OCTOBER 23_2023


There are currently 4 sunspot regions on the solar disk: AR3468, AR3469, AR3470 and new region AR3471
hmi200.gif
AR3464, AR3465 & AR3467 are gone

Total number of sunspots has idecreased to 48 (8 of these are grouped into 4 active regions) NOAA forecasts for the next 24h: 25% chance for C flares, 5% chance M flares and 1% chance for X flares. All regions have stable magnetic fields.
A LULL IN SUNSPOT ACTIVITY: In the past two weeks, sunspot counts have sharply dropped, leaving the solar disk without any complex or very active sunspots. Does this mean Solar Cycle 25 is ending prematurely? No. "Sunspot lulls" are normal statistical fluctuations observed during even very strong solar cycles. Solar Cycle 25 will soon bounce back as it heads for a maximum in 2024-25. SpaceWeather.com​
EISNcurrent.png

● Auroral Activity

The geomagnetic field has been at quiet to unsettled levels (Kp3) for the past 24 hours. On October 22 solar wind speed reached a peak of 404 km/s (Elevated speed) at 0158 UTC Total IMF reached 9 nT at 17:49 UTC​

IMPACT SPARKS AURORAS: Arriving earlier than expected, a CME hit Earth's magnetic field on Oct. 20th. Although it was a weak impact (indeed, it was initially overlooked), the CME's wake contained strong magnetic fields that opened a crack in Earth's magnetosphere. Solar wind poured through the gap to fuel auroras in both hemispheres. Ian Griffin photographed the display from the Otago Peninsula in New Zealand:​
"I was out getting ready to photograph the Orionid meteor shower, which is in the Northern sky from here in New Zealand," says Griffin. "But at around 9:30 local time my attention was focused entirely in the opposite direction as a wonderful display of the aurora australis exploded in the southrern sky."

Auroras were also visible in the northern hemisphere. Fantastic shapes including beads and swirls were observed over Canada, while photographic auroras descended into the United States as far south as Kansas and Missouri. SpaceWeather.com​

Aurora Oval Bz: 4.91 nT North
aurora-map.jpg

● Current Conditions at 04:40 UTC on October 23

▪︎ Geospace quiet (kp 1)
▪︎ Solar wind speed record: 357 km/sec (Normal speed)
▪︎ density: 3.19 p/cm³ (low density)
▪︎ Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF)
Bt: 6 nT
▪︎ Neutron Counts today: - 2.7 % (Low)
▪︎ X-ray Solar Flare: B7 0420 UT Oct23
▪︎ Sunspot number: 48 (SN 65 October 22)
▪︎ Spotless Days 2023 total: 0 days (0%)
▪︎ There are no significant coronal holes on the Earthside of the sun
..
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EarthSky.org
 
SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT OCTOBER 24_2023

THE SUN IS UNUSUALLY QUIET THIS WEEK said Dr. Ryan French. Solar activity has been at low levels for the past 24 hours. The largest solar event of the period was a C2 event observed at 1958 UTC on October 23 from Region 3468 (S09W25).

We had an even quieter day today. There are almost no flares and tiny, boring sunspots said Dr. Alex Young
Solar activity is on the other side of the sun.​


There are currently 2 sunspot regions on the solar disk: AR3468, AR3470
hmi200.gif
AR3469 & AR3471 are gone

Total number of sunspots has decreased to 25 (5 of these are grouped into 2 active regions) NOAA forecasts for the next 24h: 20% chance for C flares, 1% chance M flares and 1% 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. On October 23
Solar wind speed reached a peak of 398 km/s at 1747 UTC Total IMF reached 8 nT at 2330 UTC

Aurora Oval Bz: -1.65 nT South
aurora-map.jpg
MYSTERY OF ORANGE AURORAS: A recent display of auroras over Canada has experts scratching their heads. The mystery? They were orange:​
"This was a first for me," says Harlan Thomas, who photographed the display over Sibbald Pond west of Calgary, Alberta, on Oct. 19th. "The orange was sublime, just incredible. The pillars in the center stayed there glowing for more than 20 minutes."

Auroras get their colors from atoms and molecules in Earth's atmosphere. During geomagnetic storms, energetic particles rain down from space, striking the air and causing it to glow. Red, green, purple and even pink are common signs of excited oxygen and nitrogen.

The problem is, there's nothing in the air capable of making bright orange. Theoretically, nitrogen and oxygen (N2, N2+, and O2+) can produce emissions at orange wavelengths. However, these emissions are very weak compared to other colors produced by the same molecules. Orange should be overwhelmed.​


Aurora colors produced by atoms and molecules in Earth's atmosphere. [more]​

The answer may be hiding in plain sight. Take another look at Thomas's photo. Bright red auroras appear on top, overlapping the green auroras lower down. Red and green mixing together may have produced the yellow-orange glow.

Aurora physicist Kjellmar Oksavik of the University of Bergen in Norway believes that's the correct explanation:

"The red auroras are formed by low-energy electrons colliding with atomic oxygen at high altitudes (200-400 km). Here, oxygen atoms are excited into a quantum state called O(1D), where they can emit a red photon at 630.0 nanometers," Oksavik says.

"The green auroras are formed by higher-energy electrons colliding with atomic oxygen at lower altitudes (100-150 km)," he continues. "Here, oxygen atoms are excited into a state called O(1S), where they emit a green photon at 557.7 nanometers."

"In between, there can be a mixing of the two processes, which fools the camera and eye to believe that it is orange. In reality, it is both red and green at the same time," he says.

"Another beauty of this picture," Oksavik points out, "is that it reveals the alignment of Earth’s magnetic field. The bright pillar in the center is a textbook example of a very tall auroral ray. These are aligned along the magnetic field and caused by a broad spectrum of electrons raining down from Earth’s magnetosphere. Slower electrons collide high up (red light), while more energetic electrons travel further down into a much denser atmosphere (green light)." Such a continuum of red to green should naturally produce a yellow-orange transition zone--no mystery molecule required. SpaceWeather.com​

● Current Conditions at 04:40 UTC on October 24

▪︎ Geospace quiet (kp 0)
▪︎ Solar wind speed record: 390 km/sec (Normal speed)
▪︎ density: 0.92 p/cm³ (low density)
▪︎ Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF)
Bt: 5.61 nT
▪︎ Neutron Counts today: - 2.4 % (Low)
▪︎ X-ray Solar Flare: B6 2332 UT Oct23
▪︎ Sunspot number: 25 (SN 48 October 23)
▪︎ Spotless Days 2023 total: 0 days (0%)
▪︎ There are no significant coronal holes on the Earthside of the sun
..
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SOLAR CYCLE 25 ACTIVITY REPORT OCTOBER 25_2023

THE SUN IS STILL IN ITS EERIE LULL Solar activity has been at low levels for the past 24 hours. The largest solar event of the period was a C1 event observed at 14:50 UTC on October 24.
There are currently 3 sunspot regions on the solar disk: AR3468, AR3470 and new region AR3471
hmi200.jpg
Total number of sunspots has increased to 34 (5 of these are grouped into 3 active regions) NOAA forecasts for the next 24h: 15% chance for C flares, 1% chance M flares and 1% 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. On October 24
Solar wind speed reached a peak of 400 km/s (Elevated speed) at 1840 UTC Total IMF reached 7 nT at 23:47 UTC

Aurora Oval Bz: 0.58 nT North
aurora-map.jpg
● Current Conditions at 04:00 UTC on October 25

▪︎ Geospace quiet (kp 1)
▪︎ Solar wind speed record: 331 km/sec (Normal speed)
▪︎ density: 6.5 p/cm³ (low density)
▪︎ Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF)
Bt: 3.63 nT
▪︎ Neutron Counts today: - 2.4 % (Low)
▪︎ X-ray Solar Flare: C4 0001 UT Oct25
▪︎ Sunspot number: 34 (SN 25 October 24)
▪︎ Spotless Days 2023 total: 0 days (0%)
▪︎ Solar wind flowing from these two coronal holes could reach Earth on Oct. 30th.
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SUN MAGNETIC REVERSAL IS UNDERWAY!

First, don't freak out - this is a normal feature of the 11-year sunspot cycle, but it does have important meaning for space weather. This dark coronal hole is stretching across the solar equator. That means the solar magnetic fields have begun to reverse for this sunspot cycle.
The reversal of the solar fields heralds the beginning of the peak of sunspot maximum (usually lasts 2-3 years) and the coronal holes also deliver enhanced solar wind streams. We should expect 2024-2025 to be the height of geomagnetic activity until the next cycle maximum which is expected ~2035 (+/- 2 years). We should be seeing more equatorial coronal hole placement and enhanced sunspot activity in the coming months.
SpaceWeatherNews vía X
.......
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