AR 1582 Visible to Naked Eye at Dawn and Dusk!

The above image was taken October 4th at 02:41:56 UTC by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA), at 4500 Angstroms, aboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). The major sunspot groups visible in this image include Active Region 1585 (left), 1582 (right of center) and 1579 (right). Image Credit: SDO/AIA

We currently have some large sunspot groups. The largest of these is Active Region 1585 (AR 1585). This particular group is so large that it can be seen from Earth, at dawn and dusk, with just the naked eye!

For the end of October 2nd and most of October 3rd, the solar activity was very low. No significant activity occurred. The forecast through October 6th: The solar activity is expected to range from very low to low.

Above Earth, the geomagnetic field began the current UTC day with an isolated unsettled period due to an extended interval of negative Bz. Otherwise, the field was quiet. The forecast through October 6th: The geomagnetic field is expected to be mostly quiet. 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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