Tag Archives: solar activity

Night Time Solar Radio Burst

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NIGHT-TIME SOLAR RADIO BURST: The M9-class solar flare of August 4th produced a burst of shortwave static so powerful that receivers on Earth picked it up after sunset. “A RadioJove observer in Florida recorded the burst when the sun was 38 degrees below the horizon,” reports amateur radio astronomer Thomas Ashcraft. Ashcraft’s own radio telescope in New Mexico recorded the event 1 hour and 54 minutes after sunset:

“To my knowledge, receptions like this are very rare,” says Ashcraft.

Indeed they are. This event brings to mind the iconic night-time solar radio burst of March 8, 1958. Five radio telescopes at the University of Florida picked up emissions from the sun while observing the planet Jupiter in tthe middle of the night. On the other side of the world, radio astronomers in daylit Australia confirmed that a powerful solar radio burst had taken place at that exact time. The event is described in a 1959 Nature paper by pioneering radio astronomers Alex Smith and Tom Carr. They considered the possibility that solar radio waves might have been reflected by the Moon or carried to the night side of Earth by ionospheric ducting. In tthe end, they could not conclusively explain what happened and to this day night-time solar radio bursts remain a puzzle.

Strong CME Incoming

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ONE DOWN, TWO TO GO: As predicted by analysts at the GSFC Space Weather Lab, the first of three CMEs produced by the recent spate of flare activity reached Earth during the late hours of August 4th. The impact was weak and is not expected to produce strong geomagnetic storms. Two more CMEs are still on the way and, as described below, they may have merged into a single cloud that could produce significant storming when they reach Earth on August 5th at 10:00 UT (plus or minus 7 hours). A new model of all 3 CMEs is now available; stay tuned for updates.

STRONG SOLAR ACTIVITY: On August 4th, active sunspot 1261 unleashed a strong solar flare, the third in as many days. The blast, which registered M9.3 on the Richter Scale of Flares, hurled a bright coronal mass ejection (CME) almost directly toward Earth. Click on the image to view a movie of the expanding cloud recorded by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory:


Note: The many speckles in this movie are caused by energetic solar protons hitting the camera.

Moving at an estimated speed of 1950 km/s, this CME is expected to sweep up an earlier CME already en route. Analysts at the GSFC Space Weather Lab say the combined-CME should reach Earth on August 5th at 10:00 UTplus or minus 7 hours: “The impact on Earth is likely to be major. The estimated maximum geomagnetic activity index level Kp is 7 (Kp ranges from 0 – 9). The flanks of the CME may also impact STEREO A, Mars and Mercury/MESSENGER.”

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Incoming Strong Solar Flare

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STRONG SOLAR ACTIVITY: For the third day in a row, active sunspot 1261 has unleashed a strong M-class solar flare. The latest blast at 0357 UT on August 4th registered M9.3 on the Richter Scale of Flares, almost crossing the threshold into X-territory (X-flares are the most powerful kind). The number of energetic protons around Earth has jumped nearly 100-fold as a result of this event.

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X Class Solar Flares to Impact Earth 8/5

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X-Class flares imminent with a solar storm on August 5th along with increased large quakes

Published on August 3, 2011 1:40 am PT
– By Jim Duran – Writer
– Article Editor and Approved – Ron Jackson


Click for larger image

(TheWeatherSpace.com) — The Sun has put out a major M-class flare directly at the planet and this will cause a solar storm on August 5th as the Sun remains unstable enough for X-class flares.

Sunspot groups on the Sun are facing the Earth and these harbor the energy for X-class flares. Major solar flares are likely from the Sun and latest magnetic field readings show one is about to erupt from the region toward the planet.

One has already erupted within the past 24 hours. Models indicate a direct hit on the Earth on and around August 5th.

“We will see an increase in earthquakes,” said TWS Senior Meteorologist Kevin Martin. “This will impact the planet hard and looking at the past events we will see a worldwide event of larger quakes.”

Martin has been following up on his solar flare vs earthquake trigger research for quite sometime and has tied numerous events to the link.

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Our Sun is a Happy Star

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Smiley Face on the Sun? New Video Shows All

by Clara Moskowitz, SPACE.com Senior Writer
Date: 02 August 2011 Time: 04:00 AM ET
Video of smiley face on the sun.
This still from a NASA video shows an apparent smiley face on the sun as seen by the Solar Dynamics Observatory. The solar happy face is seen in different wavelengths in a video posted on July 25, 2011.
CREDIT: NASA/SDO/GSFC

Our sun is apparently a happy star according to the latest video from a NASA observatory. The video shows a pattern of sunspots that, when viewed from afar, forms a vast happy face smiling across face of the sun.

Sunspots are darker, cooler patches on the sun caused when intense magnetic activity blocks heat convection. These spots are normal, but they don’t usually align to give the sun’s face such character.

The smile on the sun is visible through 11 photographs taken by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which images the sun from Earth orbit. Each picture was taken at the same time, but through a different filter that separated out a narrow wavelength band of light. The images range from lowest temperature to highest.

for more, including the video, go to:    http://www.space.com/12502-sun-smiley-face-video-sunspots.html

 

7/29 Solar Flare

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SOLAR FLARE: Sunspot AR1261 unleashed a brief but powerful solar flare on July 30th at 0209 UT. Registering M9 on the Richter Scale of Flares, the blast almost crossed the threshold into X-territory (X-class flares are the most powerful kind). NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the flare’s extreme ultraviolet flash:

Because of its brevity, the eruption did not hurl a substantial cloud of material toward Earth. No CME is visible in SOHO coronagraphs. The eruption was not geoeffective, although future eruptions could be as the active region continues to turn toward Earth.

New Sunspots

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BIG SUNSPOTS: After more than a week of quiet, solar activity is picking up. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory is monitoring two big sunspot groups now emerging over the sun’s eastern limb. Click on the image to view a 40-hour movie:

The leading sunspot group, AR1260, is crackling with C-class solar flares among a quartet of Earth-sized cores. Not far behind, sunspot AR1261 is larger and may harbor energy for flares of its own. At the moment, these two sunspot groups are too far off disk-center to affect Earth, but this will change in the days ahead. Readers with solar telescopes are encouraged to monitor developments.

Coronal Hole

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CORONAL HOLE: A dark gap in the sun’s atmosphere–a “coronal hole”–is spewing solar wind toward Earth. Estimated time of arrival: July 19th. This morning, UV-filtered telescopes onboard NASA’s Solar Dynamics Obervatory photographed the opening:


Above: A composite of EUV images at three wavelengths: 211 Å, 193 Å, and 171 Å. Credit: SDO/AIA

Coronal holes are places where the sun’s magnetic field opens up and allows hot gas to escape. A million mile-per-hour stream of solar wind flowing from this hole could spark polar geomagnetic storms when it arrives early next week. High-latitude sky watchers should be prepared for auroras.

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Activity in Eastern Region of Sun

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EASTERN UNREST: An active region emerging over the sun’s eastern limb is hurling material high above the stellar surface. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded some of the action during the early hours of July 12th:

This eastern unrest is not Earth directed. Forecasters say the greater threat for geoeffective activity comes from sunspot 1247 (finder); it has a “beta-gamma” magnetic field that harbors energy for M-class solar flares. There is a 10% chance of such eruptions during the next 24 hours.

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