NEOWISE is Coming Back!

Above is an artist's concept of the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE spacecraft, in orbit around Earth. In September of 2013, engineers will attempt to bring the mission out of hibernation to hunt for more asteroids and comets in a project called NEOWISE. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

One NASA spacecraft performed an infrared survey of the sky, discovered and characterized tens of thousands of asteroids, and then went into hibernation. This same craft is coming back for more. It will return to service for three more years starting in September, assisting the agency in its effort to identify the population of potentially hazardous near-Earth objects, as well as those suitable for asteroid exploration missions. 

The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) will be revived with the goal of discovering and characterizing near-Earth objects (NEOs), space rocks that can be found orbiting within 28 million miles (45 million kilometers) from Earth's path around the sun. NASA anticipates WISE will use its 16-inch (40-centimeter) telescope and infrared cameras to discover about 150 previously unknown NEOs and characterize the size, albedo and thermal properties of about 2,000 others -- including some which could be candidates for the agency's recently announced asteroid initiative. 

"The WISE mission achieved its mission's goals and as NEOWISE extended the science even further in its survey of asteroids. NASA is now extending that record of success, which will enhance our ability to find potentially hazardous asteroids, and support the new asteroid initiative," said John Grunsfeld, NASA's associate administrator for science in Washington. "Reactivating WISE is an excellent example of how we are leveraging existing capabilities across the agency to achieve our goal." 

NASA's asteroid initiative will be the first mission to identify, capture and relocate an asteroid. It represents an unprecedented technological feat that will lead to new scientific discoveries and technological capabilities that will help protect our home planet. The asteroid initiative brings together the best of NASA's science, technology and human exploration efforts to achieve President Obama's goal of sending humans to an asteroid by 2025. 

Launched in December 2009 to look for the glow of celestial heat sources from asteroids, stars and galaxies, WISE made about 7,500 images every day during its primary mission, from January 2010 to February 2011. As part of a project called NEOWISE, the spacecraft made the most accurate survey to date of NEOs. NASA turned most of WISE's electronics off when it completed its primary mission. 

"The data collected by NEOWISE two years ago have proven to be a gold mine for the discovery and characterization of the NEO population," said Lindley Johnson, NASA's NEOWISE program executive in Washington. "It is important that we accumulate as much of this type of data as possible while the WISE spacecraft remains a viable asset." 

Because asteroids reflect but do not emit visible light, infrared sensors are a powerful tool for discovering, cataloging and understanding the asteroid population. Depending on an object's reflectivity, or albedo, a small, light-colored space rock can look the same as a big, dark one. As a result, data collected with optical telescopes using visible light can be deceiving. 

During 2010, NEOWISE observed about 158,000 rocky bodies out of approximately 600,000 known objects. Discoveries included 21 comets, more than 34,000 asteroids in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter, and 135 near-Earth objects. 

The WISE prime mission was to scan the entire celestial sky in infrared light. It captured more than 2.7 million images in multiple infrared wavelengths and cataloged more than 560 million objects in space, ranging from galaxies faraway to asteroids and comets much closer to Earth. 

"The team is ready and after a quick checkout, we're going to hit the ground running," said Amy Mainzer, NEOWISE principal investigator at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "NEOWISE not only gives us a better understanding of the asteroids and comets we study directly, but it will help us refine our concepts and mission operation plans for future, space-based near-Earth object cataloging missions." 

JPL manages WISE for NASA's Science Mission Directorate at the agency's headquarters in Washington. The mission is part of NASA's Explorers Program, which NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., manages. The Space Dynamics Laboratory in Logan, Utah, built the science instrument. Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. of Boulder, Colo., built the spacecraft. Science operations and data processing take place at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Caltech manages JPL for NASA. 

Click here to learn more about the NEOWISE mission.

Click here to learn more about the asteroid initiative.


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Waved at Saturn? Maybe You're in the Collage!

Above is a collage of only some of the images shared via Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Instagram, Google+, and email. NASA's Cassini mission team assembled the collage, using an image of Earth as the base image. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

People around the world shared more than 1,400 images of themselves as part of the Wave at Saturn event organized by NASA's Cassini mission on July 19—the day the Cassini spacecraft turned back toward Earth to take our picture. The images were posted online from 40 countries and 30 U.S. states via Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Instagram, Google+, and email.

"Thanks to all of you, near and far, old and young, who joined the Cassini mission in marking the first time inhabitants of Earth had advance notice that our picture was being taken from interplanetary distances," said Linda Spilker, Cassini project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "While Earth is too small in the images Cassini obtained to distinguish any individual human beings, the mission has put together this collage so that we can celebrate all your waving hands, uplifted paws, smiling faces and artwork."

From its perch in the Saturn system, Cassini took a picture of Earth as part of a larger set of images it was collecting of the Saturn system. Scientists are busy putting together the color mosaic of the Saturn system, which they expect will take at least several more weeks to complete. The scientists who study Saturn's rings are poring over visible-light and infrared data obtained during that campaign.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

Click here to learn more about the Wave at Saturn campaign.

Click here to learn more about NASA's Cassini mission.


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Studying Starbirth in Herbig-Haro 46/47 with ESO's ALMA

Herbig-Haro 46/47, as seen by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). Image Credit: ALMA/ESO

Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have obtained a vivid close-up view of material streaming away from a newborn star. By looking at the glow coming from carbon monoxide molecules in an object called Herbig-Haro 46/47 they have discovered that its jets are even more energetic than previously thought. The very detailed new images have also revealed a previously unknown jet pointing in a totally different direction.

Young stars are violent objects that eject material at speeds as high as one million kilometres per hour. When this material crashes into the surrounding gas it glows, creating a Herbig-Haro object, named for astronomers George Herbig and Guillermo Haro, who did the first detailed studies of these objects. A spectacular example is named Herbig-Haro 46/47 and is situated about 1400 light-years from Earth in the southern constellation of Vela (The Sails). This object was the target of a study using ALMA during the Early Science phase, whiles the telescope was still under construction and well before the array was completed.

The new images reveal fine detail in two jets, one coming toward Earth and one moving away. The receding jet was almost invisible in earlier pictures made in visible light, due to obscuration by the dust clouds surrounding the new-born star. ALMA has not only provided much sharper images than earlier facilities but also allowed astronomers to measure how fast the glowing material is moving through space.

These new observations of Herbig-Haro 46/47 revealed that some of the ejected material had velocities much higher than had been measured before. This means the outflowing gas carries much more energy and momentum than previously thought.

The team leader and first author of the new study, Héctor Arce (Yale University, USA) explains that "ALMA's exquisite sensitivity allows the detection of previously unseen features in this source, like this very fast outflow. It also seems to be a textbook example of a simple model where the molecular outflow is generated by a wide-angle wind from the young star."

The observations were obtained in just five hours of ALMA observation time – even though ALMA was still under construction at the time – similar quality observations with other telescopes would have taken ten times longer.

"The detail in the Herbig-Haro 46/47 images is stunning. Perhaps more stunning is the fact that, for these types of observations, we really are still in the early days. In the future ALMA will provide even better images than this in a fraction of the time," adds Stuartt Corder (Joint ALMA Observatory, Chile), a co-author on the new paper.

Diego Mardones (Universidad de Chile), another co-author, emphasises that "this system is similar to most isolated low mass stars during their formation and birth. But it is also unusual because the outflow impacts the cloud directly on one side of the young star and escapes out of the cloud on the other. This makes it an excellent system for studying the impact of the stellar winds on the parent cloud from which the young star is formed."

The sharpness and sensitivity achieved by these ALMA observations also allowed the team to discover an unsuspected outflow component that seems to be coming from a lower mass companion to the young star. This secondary outflow is seen almost at right angles to the principal object and is apparently carving its own hole out of the surrounding cloud.

Arce concludes that "ALMA has made it possible to detect features in the observed outflow much more clearly than previous studies. This shows that there will certainly be many surprises and fascinating discoveries to be made with the full array. ALMA will certainly revolutionize the field of star formation!"

To learn more, click here to visit website of the European Southern Observatory.


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Happy 36th Birthday, Voyager 2!

Voyager 2 was launched on August 20th, 1977, from the NASA Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral in Florida, propelled into space on a Titan/Centaur rocket. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Voyager 2 was launched on August 20th, 1977, from the NASA Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral in Florida, propelled into space on a Titan/Centaur rocket. (Image Credit: NASA/JPL)

The Voyager 2 spacecraft was launched on August 20, 1977. It was built (along with its identical twin Voyager 1) to explore the outer planets of our solar system – namely Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. It did all that, and to this day is the only spacecraft to visit Uranus and Neptune. On top of that, Voyager 2 is the longest operating spacecraft in human history. It surpassed Pioneer 6, which launched on December 16, 1965, and sent its last signal back to NASA’s Deep Space Network on December 8, 2000.

Today, Voyager 2 is over 15.2 billion kilometers from Earth. At the speed of light, it would take about 14 hours to get from Earth to Voyager 2.

Voyager 1's 36th birthday will be September 5, 2012 – and in spite of launching a couple weeks after Voyager 2, Voyager 1 is even further away: Voyager 1 is over 18.6 billion kilometers away from Earth, or over 17 hours of light-travel time.

The Voyager mission was planned because of an uncommon alignment of the four outer planets – Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune – which allowed all the planets to be visited in a single mission. Voyager 1 visited Jupiter and Saturn and then used a gravity assist/slingshot from Saturn and headed north – directly towards the edge of the solar system. Voyager 2 took a less direct route to the edge (which explains why it isn’t as far away) visiting Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and finally Neptune before using a gravity assist/slingshot to head towards the edge of the solar system in a southerly direction.

Both Voyagers are currently in a region of space called the Heliopause, which is the outermost layer of the Heliosphere where the solar wind is slowed by the pressure of interstellar gas. They are on the very edge of our solar system, and based on the data that the spacecraft are sending back to Earth, it is suspected that they will “break through” into interstellar space in the very near future (“near future” meaning it could be months or a few years). Some think Voyager 1 has transitioned into interstellar space, though more data and time is needed to determine that. Both spacecraft are travelling about 60,000km/h, though Voyager 1 is travelling slightly faster than Voyager 2. Their radioisotope thermoelectric generators will be able to sustain sufficient electrical output to operate until 2020, or possibly until 2025.

Some key dates for Voyager 1:

Launch: September 5, 1977
Closest approach to Jupiter (349,000km): March 5, 1979
Closest approach to Saturn (124,000km): November 12, 1979
Took the famous “family portrait” and “pale blue dot” images (6 billion + km): February-June 1990

Some key dates for Voyager 2:

Launch: August 20, 1977
Closest approach to Jupiter (570,000km): July 9, 1979
Closest approach to Saturn (100,800km): August 26, 1981
Closest approach to Uranus (81,500km): January 24, 1986
Closest approach to Neptune (4,800km): August 25, 1989 – yes you read that correctly…Voyager 2 passed a mere 4,800km above Neptune’s north pole!

Click here to visit the NASA/JPL Project Voyager Mission site.


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Seasonal Blue Moon August 20, 2013

The Galileo spacecraft sent back this image of the Moon as it headed into the outer solar system. The distinct bright ray crater at the bottom of the image is the Tycho impact basin. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Tuesday evening, August 20th, we will see the rise of a full moon. It will reach a peak at 9:45 PM ET. But the title of "blue moon" has more to do with frequency than with color. A traditional blue moon is the appearing of a second full moon phase in a given calendar month. There is usually at least one blue moon in each calendar year, and there are two blue moons every 19 years.

But wait! The moon goes through its cycle of phases very 29.5 days and this full moon is on the 20th of the month. So this is cannot be the second full moon for August, and so is not a traditional blue moon. What gives?

This particular full moon is a "seasonal blue moon"—the third of four full moons in a season. This will be the first seasonal blue moon in nearly three years. After this one, the next seasonal blue moon will not occur until 2015.

Usually, when the moon is full, it passes either above or below Earth’s shadow, but sometimes, when it is perfectly aligned, it travels right through the shadow. This event is called a lunar eclipse. And depending on how well the earth, moon and sun are aligned, it could be a total or partial eclipse.


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Another Type of Dark Matter?

The above NASA Hubble Space Telescope image shows the distribution of dark matter in the center of the giant galaxy cluster Abell 1689, containing about 1,000 galaxies and trillions of stars. Abell 1689 resides 2.2 billion light-years from Earth. The image was taken in June 2002. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESA/Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia, University of Basque Country/JHU

Current cosmological theory suggests that our Galaxy, like others, sits in the middle of a large ball-shaped concentration of dark matter. However, there may be other shapes lurking in this hidden gravitational scaffolding. A paper published May 23rd in Physical Review Letters proposes the existence of an additional type of dark matter having strong interactions that cause it to form into large disk-shaped objects. Such dark disks would presumably overlap or “double” up with the disks of conventional matter in galaxies like the Milky Way.

Models of dark matter typically assume it is composed of a single type of particle. The currently favored candidate is a cold, relatively massive particle that interacts only weakly with other particles, including itself. Such dark matter can account for the velocity distribution of stars observed in galaxies. It also agrees well with data from the cosmic microwave background. But these successes do not exclude contributions from other types of dark matter.

Authors JiJi Fan and colleagues from Harvard University explored adding “partially interacting” particles into the dark matter mix. They estimate that a small fraction (around 5% ) of dark matter—an amount comparable to conventional baryonic matter—may be of this more interacting type. Their model assumes a heavy dark “proton” and a light dark “electron” that interact through a kind of “dark electromagnetism.” Processes such as bremsstrahlung and Compton scattering are efficient enough to allow this small fraction of dark matter to cool down and collapse into disks. Dark disks may be detectable in several ways. For example, their gravitational effects might show up in upcoming star surveys, or cosmic-ray observations could reveal a signature from self-annihilations of dark disk particles.

To learn more, see the following article:

Physical Review Letters 110, 211302 (2013)

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Is Voyager 1 Outside Our Solar Bubble?

This artist's concept shows NASA's Voyager spacecraft against a field of stars in the darkness of space. The two Voyager spacecraft are traveling farther and farther away from Earth, on a journey to interstellar space, and will eventually circle around the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

A newly published paper argues that NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft has already entered interstellar space. The model described in the paper is new and different from other models used so far to explain the data the spacecraft has been sending back from more than 11 billion miles (18 billion kilometers) away from our sun.

NASA's Voyager project scientist, Ed Stone of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, explains: 

"Details of a new model have just been published that lead the scientists who created the model to argue that NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft data can be consistent with entering interstellar space in 2012. In describing on a fine scale how magnetic field lines from the sun and magnetic field lines from interstellar space can connect to each other, they conclude Voyager 1 has been detecting the interstellar magnetic field since July 27, 2012. Their model would mean that the interstellar magnetic field direction is the same as that which originates from our sun. 

Other models envision the interstellar magnetic field draped around our solar bubble and predict that the direction of the interstellar magnetic field is different from the solar magnetic field inside. By that interpretation, Voyager 1 would still be inside our solar bubble. 

The fine-scale magnetic connection model will become part of the discussion among scientists as they try to reconcile what may be happening on a fine scale with what happens on a larger scale.

The Voyager 1 spacecraft is exploring a region no spacecraft has ever been to before. We will continue to look for any further developments over the coming months and years as Voyager explores an uncharted frontier."

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in Pasadena, Calif., built and operates the Voyager spacecraft. California Institute of Technology in Pasadena manages JPL for NASA. The Voyager missions are a part of NASA's Heliophysics System Observatory, sponsored by the Heliophysics Division of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

For more information about the Voyager mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/voyager and http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov.

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AR 1589, Most Active for October 11th...

The above image was taken October 11th at 08:04:00 UTC by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA), at 131 Angstroms, aboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). This was at the time of a C4 x-ray flare near the northeast (upper-left) limb, produced by Active Region 1589 (AR 1589). Image Credit: SDO/AIA

For the end of October 10th and most of October 11th, the solar activity was low. Active Region 1589 (AR 1589), in the northeast quadrant, was responsible for the largest flare of the period; a C4 x-ray flare on the 11th at 08:04 UTC. AR 1589 is currently the most complex region, with a Beta-Gamma magnetic classification. New region AR New Region 1590 rotated onto the southeast limb and was numbered.  No Earth-directed coronal mass ejections were observed. The forecast through October 14th: The solar activity is expected to be low with a chance for isolated M-class activity.

Here at home, the geomagnetic field was quiet.  Solar wind speed, measured at the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft, was slightly elevated between approximately 440 to 500 km/s while the Bz component of the interplanetary magnetic field did not vary much beyond +/- 4 nT. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit was at high levels throughout the period. The forecast through October 14th: The geomagnetic field is expected to be mostly quiet on 12th and 13th. On the 14th, a coronal hole high-speed stream is expected to move into geoeffective position, causing quiet to unsettled conditions with a chance for active periods. 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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Sol Giving Low-to-Moderate Activity...

The above image was taken October 10th at 05:04:00 UTC by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA), at 94 Angstroms, aboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). This was at the time of an M1 x-ray flare just beyond the southeastern (lower-left) limb, produced by a yet-to-be-designated region. Image Credit: SDO/AIA

For the end of October 9th and most of October 10th, the solar activity was moderate. A pair of M1 x-ray events were produced on the 9th at 23:31 UTC and on the 10th at 05:04 UTC by a new region which has not yet rotated around the southeast limb. Active Region 1589 (AR 1589), in the northeastern quadrant, remains the largest and most complex group on the solar disk. The forecast through October 13th: The solar activity is expected to be low with the chance for moderate levels.

Above Earth, the geomagnetic field began the period at minor storm conditions, due to the onset of a coronal hole high-speed stream coupled with residual and lingering coronal mass ejection (CME) effects. Mostly quiet conditions then followed and continued for the remainder of the period. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit reached high levels during the period. The forecast through October 13th: The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to unsettled with isolated active levels on the 11th, as coronal hole effects continue. Mostly quiet conditions are forecast for the 12th and 13th. 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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B-Class Events from AR 1585...

The above X-ray image of the sun was taken October 7th at 02:44:00 UTC by the Solar X-ray Imager (SXI) aboard the GOES-15 satellite. Image Credit: NOAA

For the end of October 5th and most of October 6th, the solar activity has been at very low levels. Active Region 1585 (AR 1585), in the southeastern quadrant, has been the most active region, producing multiple B-class events. No Earth directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were observed. The forecast through October 9th: The solar activity is expected to be at very low to low levels.

Here at home, the geomagnetic field has been at predominantly quiet levels. Solar wind speeds, as measured by the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft, remain at nominal levels. Even so, energetic particle measurements by the EPAM sensor, indicate a CME is currently traveling toward Earth. The forecast through October 9th: The geomagnetic field is expected to be at predominantly quiet levels on the 7th. An increase to unsettled to active levels with a chance for minor storm periods is expected on the 8th and 9th as the 05 October CME is forecasted to arrive.

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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Partial Halo CME on October 5th!

The link below presents views of a partial halo coronal mass ejection (CME) using images on October 5th from 06:30:07 UTC through 11:47:19 UTC. The video is compiled of images from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). The video was prepared by helioviewer.org and posted to YouTube by contributor "otraLoly." Image Credit: SDO/AIA/SOHO

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO.

For the end of October 4th and most of October 5th, the solar activity was very low.  A long duration (7.5 hours) B7 x-ray event was observed on the 5th at 07:30 UTC. Post eruption loop structures were observed in GOES SXI imagery beginning at approximately 03:28 UTC in the vicinity of Active Region (AR 1584), in the southwest quadrant, shortly after the beginning of the B7 flare at 03:17 UTC. A partial halo coronal mass ejection (CME) was first observed in SOHO/LASCO C3 imagery at 07:30 UTC and STEREO A COR2 imagery at 04:09 UTC with an estimated plane-of-sky speed at 590 km/s. WSA-ENLIL model indicates this Earth-directed CME to become geoeffective late on the 8th. The forecast through October 8th: The solar activity is expected to continue at very low levels with the chance for a C-class flare.

Above Earth, the geomagnetic field was quiet. The forecast through October 8th: The geomagnetic field is expected to be mostly quiet on the 6th and 7th. Late on the 8th, today's CME is expected to affect Earth, causing unsettled to active conditions with a chance for minor storm periods. 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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September 5th: More Sleepy Sol...

The above image was taken October 5th at 03:21:04 UTC by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA), at 1700 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

For the end of October 3rd and most of October 4th, the solar activity was very low. The forecast through October 7th: The solar activity is expected to be very low with a chance for C-class flares.

Here at home, the geomagnetic field was quiet. The forecast through October 7th: 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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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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AR 1584's C1 Flare on October 2nd...

The above image was taken October 2nd at 09:04:00 UTC by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) aboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). This was during the time of a C1 solar flare, produced by Active Region 1584 (AR 1584), in the southeast (lower-left) quadrant. The displayed image combined the AIA observations at 94, 131, and 171 Angstroms. Image Credit: SDO/AIA

For the end of October 1st and most of october 2nd, the solar activity was low. Active Region 1584 (AR 1584) produced the largest event, a C1 solar flare on the 2nd at 09:04 UTC. And a new group, AR 1585 (in the southeast quadrant) was numbered. No Earth directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were observed. The forecast through October 5th: The solar activity is expected to range from low to very low.

Here at home, the geomagnetic field was quiet. The forecast through October 5th: 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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AR 1575's C9 Flare on Sept 30th...

The above image was taken September 30th at 23:39:00 UTC by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) aboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). This was during the time of a C9 solar x-ray event, produced by Active Region 1575 (AR 1575), beyond the western (right) limb. The displayed image combined the AIA observations at 94, 131, and 171 Angstroms. Image Credit: SDO/AIA

For the end of September 30th and most of October 1st, the solar activity was low. Active Region 1575 (AR 1575), which is now around the west limb, produced several C-class x-ray events, the greatest being a C9 on the 30th at 23:39 UTC. No Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were observed. The forecast through October 4th: The solar activity is expected to be low for the 2nd. Activity is expected to be very low to low on the 3rd and 4th, as the complex or regions near the western extent of the visible solar disk continue beyond the limb.

Above Earth, the geomagnetic field began the period at active levels, as weak CME effects from the previous 24 hours continued in progress. The beginning of the 1st saw an increase to severe storm levels, after a second CME arrived at the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) on the 30th around 22:21 UTC with a subsequent Sudden Impulse (SI) to Earths magnetic field (35nT measured at Boulder) at 23:07 UTC. A single major storm period followed, before conditions decreased to active and then again to quiet. The forecast through October 4th: The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to unsettled on the 2nd as CME effects wane. The 3rd and 4th should see mostly quiet conditions. 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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AR 1583s M1 Flare on Sept 30th...

The above image was taken September 30th at 04:33:00 UTC by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) aboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). This was during the time of a M1 solar ex-ray event, produced by Active Region 1583 (AR 1583), on the western (right) limb. The displayed image combined the AIA observations at 94, 131, and 171 Angstroms. Image Credit: SDO/AIA

For the end of September 29th and most of September 30th, the solar activity has been at moderate levels. Active Region 1583 (AR 1583) produced an isolated M1 solar x-ray event on the 30th at 04:33 UTC. AR 1583 had grown rapidly, however it is only hours away from rotating off the solar disk and out of view. The remaining active regions on the disk remained stable, producing a few low level C-class events. New AR 1584 was numbered, and as of this writing, had only produced one low level C-class event. No Earth directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were observed. The forecast through October 3rd: The solar activity is expected to be at low levels with a slight chance for continued M-class activity for the 1st and 2nd. A return to low levels is expected on the 3rd, as the active region cluster, located in the northwest quadrant, rotates around the west limb.

Here at home, the geomagnetic field has been at quiet to active levels. The enhanced activity was due to the arrival of a CME from the 27th. On the 30th at around 11:00 UTC, measurements, from the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft, indicated the arrival of this CME. At 11:38 UTC, a sudden impluse of 15 nT was measured by the Boulder magnetometer, as the CME reached Earth. Solar wind velocities increased very little with this initial phase of the CME, increasing from around 280 - 320 km/s. The total interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) increased as the CME arrived, with sustained periods of negative Bz. However, with the lower than expected solar wind speeds, very little geomagnetic effects have been observed. The forecast through October 3rd: The geomagnetic field is expected to be a quiet to active levels with minor storm periods possible on the 1st, as effects of today's CME continue. Quiet to unsettled levels are expected on the 2nd as CME effects wane. A return to predominantly quiet levels is expected on the 3rd. 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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Incoming CME from Sept 28th, Storms Expected

The above X-ray image of the sun was taken September 30th at 03:08:00 UTC by the Solar X-ray Imager (SXI) aboard the GOES-15 satellite. Image Credit: NOAA

For the end of September 28th and most of September 29th, the solar activity was low. Numerous weak C-class events were observed, mostly from Active Regions 1575 and 1577 (AR 1575, AR 1577). New region AR 1583 emerged on the disk as a simple bipolar group. No significant changes were observed elsewhere. No Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were observed during the period. The forecast through October 2nd: The solar activity is expected to be low with a slight chance for M-class activity.

Above Earth, the geomagnetic field was quiet. The Advance Composition Explorer(ACE) satellite measurements indicated a steady decline in wind speed from about 325 km/s to near 275 km/s while the Bz component of the interplanetary magnetic field did not vary much beyond +/- 3 nT. On the 29th at about 01:00 UTC, a solar sector boundary crossing from a negative (toward) to a positive (away) orientation was observed. The forecast through October 2nd: The geomagnetic field activity is expected to be at predominately quiet levels through about midday on the 30th. By late on the 30th, active levels with a chance for minor to major storm periods are expected due to the arrival of the Earth-directed CME observed early on the 28th. On the 1st, continued minor to major storm conditions are expected early in the day, decreasing to mostly quiet to unsettled levels with a chance for isolated active periods as effects from the CME wane. Predominately quiet to unsettled conditions are expected on the 2nd. 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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AR 1577 C3 Flare and CME...

The above image was taken September 27th at 23:57:00 UTC by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) aboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). This was during the time of a long-duration C3 solar flare, produced by Active Region 1577 (AR 1577), to the west (right) of center. The displayed image combined the AIA observations at 94, 131, and 171 Angstroms. Image Credit: SDO/AIA

For the end of September 27th and most of September 28th, the solar activity was low. Active Region 1577 (AR 1577) produced a long-duration C3 flare on the 27th at 23:57 UTC.  The event began with a filament eruption located northwest of and adjacent to the region with a subsequent dual ribbon flare. Associated with this event was an Earth-directed, asymmetric, full-halo coronal mass ejection (CME) which was first visible in the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) LASCO C2 and C3 imagery on the 28th at 00:18 UTC and 00:30 UTC, respectively. The plane-of-sky speed through both of the instruments' fields averaged 1034 km/s with a computed radial velocity of 872 km/s. Little change was observed following. No other Earth-directed CMEs were observed. The forecast through October 1st: The solar activity is expected to be at low levels with a slight chance for M-class activity.

At home, the geomagnetic field was quiet. The Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) satellite measurements indicated a steady decline in wind velocity from about 400 km/s to near 325 km/s while the Bz component of the interplanetary magnetic field did not vary much beyond +/- 2 nT.  The greater than 10 MeV proton flux at geosynchronous orbit exceeded threshold on the 28th at 03:00 UTC, reached a maximum of 28 pfu at 04:45 UTC and decayed below threshold at 10:40 UTC. Near the end of September 28th, flux levels were still elevated at about 5 pfu.  This event was believed to be associated with the C3 flare observed late on the 27th. The forecast through October 1st: The geomagnetic field activity is expected to be at predominately quiet levels on the 29th and through midday on the 30th. By late on the 30th, active levels with with a chance for minor to major storm periods are expected due to the arrival of the Earth-directed CME observed early on the 28th. On October 1st, continued minor to major storm conditions are expected early in the day, decreasing to mostly quiet to unsettled levels with isolated active periods as effects from the CME wane. 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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C4 Flare on September 27th...

The above image was taken September 27th at 17:20:00 UTC by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA), at 94 Angstroms, aboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). This was during the time of a C4 solar flare, produced by an undesignated region on the southeastern (lower-left) portion of the sun's disc. Image Credit: SDO/AIA

For the end of September 26th and most of September 27th, the solar activity has been low. The largest solar flare was a C4 on the 27th at 17:20 UTC from an unnumbered region in the southeastern portion of the sun's disc. There are currently 9 numbered sunspot regions visible, but most have remained rather stable and quiet. A non-Earth directed full halo coronal mass ejection (CME) was observed in both STEREO A-B and LASCO imagery. The forecast through September 30th: The solar activity is expected to be at low levels with a slight chance for M-class activity.

Here at home, the geomagnetic field has been quiet. The forecast through September 30th: The geomagnetic field is expected to be predominantly 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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C1 Flare From Newbie AR 1582 on Sept 26th...

The above X-ray image of the sun was taken September 27th at 03:48:00 UTC by the Solar X-ray Imager (SXI) aboard the GOES-15 satellite. Image Credit: NOAA

For the end of September 25th and most of September 26th, the solar activity was low. The new Active Region 1582 (AR 1582) rotated onto the southeast limb and produced the only C-class flare, a long duration C1, on the 26th at 12:40 UTC. No Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were observed. The forecast through September 29th: The solar activity is expected to be at low levels with a slight chance for an M-class flare.

Above earth, the geomagnetic field was quiet. The solar wind speed, measured at the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft, increased from approximately 320 km/s to 450 km/s while the total magnetic field increased from 5 nT to 9 nT. The forecast through September 29th: The geomagnetic field is expected to be mostly quiet with a slight chance for unsettled periods. There is a slight chance for a greater than 10 MeV proton event. 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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