Real Time Images of the Sun
SOHO EIT 304 |
SOHO EIT 284 Animated |
LASCO/C2 |
The sun is constantly monitored for sun spots and coronal mass ejections. EIT (Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope) images the solar atmosphere at several wavelengths, and therefore, shows solar material at different temperatures. In the images taken at 304 Angstrom the bright material is at 60,000 to 80,000 degrees Kelvin. In those taken at 171 Angstrom, at 1 million degrees. 195 Angstrom images correspond to about 1.5 million Kelvin, 284 Angstrom to 2 million degrees. The hotter the temperature, the higher you look in the solar atmosphere.
Solar activity reached high levels. Five sunspot groups were present on the visible solar disk and background X-ray flux levels were mostly in the low C-class levels. Region 3654 (S07W70, Fkc/beta-delta) weakened a bit in its magnetic complexity, as the gamma configuration appeared to diminish. Still the mixed polarity delta spot in the intermediate section retained its magnetic shear and the instability was evident as it produced an M9.5/2b flare at 30/2346 UTC and a long duration C5.8 at 01/0758 UTC. An associated CME was observed with the long duration C5.8 flare. Analysis is ongoing of this event, but due to its far west location, an Earth-directed component is unlikely. New Region 3663 (N25E27, Bxo/beta) emerged today and underwent slow growth - but was stable. The remaining regions were inactive and had little change.
Solar Activity Forecast
Issued: 2024 May 01 1230 UTC
Solar activity is likely to be moderate, with a slight chance of low-level X-class flares (R3; Strong) on 1 May due primarily to the magnetic complexity of Region 3654 and its history of flare production. However, despite increasing foreshortening effects, the region appears to be undergoing slow weakening as it rotates closer to the limb and M-class flare probabilities decrease to a chance on 2 May. The region rotates beyond the limb on 3 May decreasing the chance for M-class activity further. Energetic
Real Time Solar X-ray and Solar Wind
Solar Cycle Progression Solar Cycle chart updated using the latest ISES predictions. |
Real-Time Solar Wind Real-Time Solar Wind data broadcast from NASA's ACE satellite. |
The Solar Cycle is observed by counting the frequency and placement of sunspots visible on the Sun. Solar minimum occurred in December, 2008. Solar maximum is expected to occur in May, 2013.
Solar X-ray Flux This plot shows 3-days of 5-minute solar x-ray flux values measured on the SWPC primary and secondary GOES satellites. |
Satellite Environment Plot The Satellite Environment Plot combines satellite and ground-based data to provide an overview of the current geosynchronous satellite environment. |
Auroral Activity Extrapolated from NOAA POES
Northern Hemi Auroral Map |
Southern Hemi Auroral Map |
Instruments on board the NOAA Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite (POES) continually monitor the power flux carried by the protons and electrons that produce aurora in the atmosphere. SWPC has developed a technique that uses the power flux observations obtained during a single pass of the satellite over a polar region (which takes about 25 minutes) to estimate the total power deposited in an entire polar region by these auroral particles. The power input estimate is converted to an auroral activity index that ranges from 1 to 10.
Credits:
Space Weather Images and Information (excluded from copyright) courtesy of: NOAA / NWS Space Weather Prediction Center, Mauna Loa Solar Observatory (HAO/NCAR), and SOHO (ESA & NASA).Space Weather links:
3-Day Forecast of Solar and Geophysical Activity
Space Weather Now
Real-Time Solar Wind
Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)
The Very Latest SOHO Images