Possible Aurorae August 17th/18th!

The above X-ray image of the sun was taken August 17th at 03:40 UTC by the Solar X-ray Imager (SXI) aboard the GOES-15 satellite. Image Credit: NOAA

The Sun's activity is expected to be low for August 17th through 19th. And there is a slight chance for an M-class flare on the 19th as our old friend Active Region 1532 (AR 1532) returns around the eastern limb.

Here at Earth, the geomagnetic field is expected to be at levels ranging from quiet to unsettled from the 17th through the 20th, with a chance for active levels.  Disturbed conditions are expected on the 17th and 18th with the arrival of the August 14th coronal mass ejection (CME). Arctic and Antarctic sky watchers should be alert for auroras. And disturbed conditions are also expected on the 19th, but in this case it is because of the arrival of a positive coronal hole high speed stream. Stay tuned...

To monitor solar flare activity minute by minute, visit the "Today's Space Weather" page of NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, URL: www.swpc.noaa.gov .

To learn more about the Sun and to stay current on solar activity, visit the mission home pages of the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov and the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov .

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