Sept 15, Nappy Time for Sol...

The above X-ray image of the sun was taken September 14th at 22:44:00 UTC by the Solar X-ray Imager (SXI) aboard the GOES-15 satellite. Image Credit: NOAA

For the end of Sepember 14th and most of the 14th, the solar activity decreased to very low levels. Active Region 1569 (AR 1569) produced occasional B-class flares. It showed a slight decrease in intermediate sunspots, but retained a beta-gamma magnetic configuration. No significant changes were observed in the remaining spotted regions. No new regions were numbered and no Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) occurred. The forecast through September 17th: The solar activity is expected to be very low with a chance for a C-class flare.

At home, The geomagnetic field was quiet. The forecast through September 17th: The geomagnetic field activity is expected to increase to quiet to unsettled levels the 15th due to a coronal hole high-speed stream. A further increase to unsettled levels is expected on the 16th with a chance for active levels due to the arrival of the CME associated with the filament disappearance on the 13th. Field activity is expected to decrease to quiet to unsettled levels the 17th. Stay tuned...

To monitor solar flare activity minute by minute, visit the "Today's Space Weather" page of NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (www.swpc.noaa.gov/today.html).

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), the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) (sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov), the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) (www.srl.caltech.edu/ACE), and the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) (stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov).

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