Earth-directed coronal mass ejection expected

Earth-directed coronal mass ejection expected

A coronal mass ejection (CME) is heading toward Earth and it could deliver a glancing blow to our planet’s magnetic field on Sept. 22th around 23:00 UT. There are no large coronal holes on the Earth-facing side of the sun. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for

STEREO-SOHO detected six coronal mass ejections

STEREO-SOHO detected six coronal mass ejections

On Sept. 19th, the STEREO-SOHO fleet of spacecraft surrounding the sun detected six coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Two of the clouds rapidly dissipated. The remaining four, however, are still intact and billowing through the inner solar system. Click to view a movie of

Geomagnetic storm in progress

Geomagnetic storm in progress

As predicted by analysts at the Goddard Space Weather Lab, a coronal mass ejection (CME) hit Earth's magnetic field at ~03:30 UT on Sept 17th. The impact sparked a moderate geomagnetic storm (in progress) and auroras around the Arctic Circle. High-latitude sky watch

Incoming coronal mass ejection

Incoming coronal mass ejection

As predicted by analysts at the Goddard Space Weather Lab, a coronal mass ejection (CME) hit Earth’s magnetic field at ~03:30 UT on Sept 17th. The impact was not strong. Nevertheless, the arrival of the CME could spark geomagnetic activity around the Arctic Circle.

Kreutz sungrazing comet seen diving into Sun

Kreutz sungrazing comet seen diving into Sun

On September 14, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) watched what happened when one comet got too close. Click on the arrow to play a 6-hour time lapse movie: One icy comet went in, none came out. Discovered on Sept. 13th by Michal Kusiak of Poland and…

Incoming CME and new sunspots

Incoming CME and new sunspots

Yesterday, September 14, an eruption near sunspot 1289 hurled a CME in the general direction of Earth. Analysts at the Goddard Space Weather Lab expect the cloud to deliver a glancing blow to our planet's magnetic field on September 17 around 04:30 UTC. There…

A comet diving into the Sun

A comet diving into the Sun

A comet is diving into the sun today. Just discovered by comet hunters Michal Kusiak of Poland and Sergei Schmalz of Germany, the icy visitor from the outer solar system is expected to brighten to first magnitude before it disintegrates on Sept. 14th.

Geomagnetic storm continues

Geomagnetic storm continues

New sunspot AR1295 is emerging over the sun’s northeastern limb and crackling with solar flares. The strongest so far, a C9.9-category blast, did something remarkable. Click on the arrow to watch an extreme ultraviolet movie from NASA’s Solar Dynamics

Geomagnetic storm subsiding, expecting more CMEs

Geomagnetic storm subsiding, expecting more CMEs

The first of several CMEs en route to Earth struck our planet’s magnetic field on Sept. 9th around 1130UT. The impact sparked a strong (Kp=7) geomagnetic storm, which is now subsiding. Last night Northern Lights were spotted in the United States as far south

Geomagnetic storm in progress

Geomagnetic storm in progress

UPDATE: The Geomagnetic Storm has subsided over the past few hours. However, the solar wind remains energized and occasional pulses of activity are expected for another 24 hours. Region 1283, the responsible party back at the Sun, decayed today. The Geomagnetic Storm