Post by Crickinneck on Nov 15, 2010 17:30:16 GMT 10
Coronagraph images from NASA's twin STEREO spacecraft show a coronal mass ejection (CME) emerging from the blast site and heading off in a direction just south of the sun-Earth line. The cloud could deliver a glancing blow to Earth's magnetic field sometime on Nov. 14th or 15th, sparking auroras.
Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) are amongst the most spectacular, transient phenomena taking place in the Sun. CME are colossal eruptions that happen periodically and during which enormous amounts of gas are released from the Sun into outer space.
The study of CME is particularly important in the context of 'space weather', since Earthward-directed CME have a strong impact on our planet's atmosphere, compressing the ionosphere and thus influencing satellites and telecommunications.
Check back for a refined predictions later when SOHO images of the CME become available. No new NASA or ESA updates are available as of Nov 14. SOHO Sheds New Light On Solar Flares, reports on what ESA has recently learned about the nature of solar flares.
New sunspot 1123 in the Sun's southern hemisphere is crackling with C-class solar flares.
The flare may spark auroras in the northern latitudes.
Credit: NASA
Earlier last week, active sunspot 1121 has unleashed one of the brightest x-ray solar flares in years, an M5.4-class eruption at 15:36 UT on Nov. 6th. Video below.
Active Region 1121 unleashes x-ray flare.
Credit: NASA/SDO/AIA
Radiation from the flare created a wave of ionization in Earth's upper atmosphere that altered the propagation of low-frequency radio waves. There was, however, no bright CME (plasma cloud) hurled in our direction, so the event was unlikely to produce auroras in the nights.
This was the third M-flare in as many days last week from this increasingly active sunspot. So far none of the eruptions has been squarely Earth-directed, but this could change in the days ahead as the sun's rotation turns the active region toward our planet.
Active Region 1121 unleashes M5.4 class eruption at 15:36 UT on Nov. 6, 2010. This video shows the intricate detail of this event.
Credit: SOHO
SOHO EIT 284 Latest Image 22/14/3020
source: nanopatentsandinnovations.blogspot.com/2010/11/coronal-mass-ejection-headed-towards.html
Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) are amongst the most spectacular, transient phenomena taking place in the Sun. CME are colossal eruptions that happen periodically and during which enormous amounts of gas are released from the Sun into outer space.
The study of CME is particularly important in the context of 'space weather', since Earthward-directed CME have a strong impact on our planet's atmosphere, compressing the ionosphere and thus influencing satellites and telecommunications.
Check back for a refined predictions later when SOHO images of the CME become available. No new NASA or ESA updates are available as of Nov 14. SOHO Sheds New Light On Solar Flares, reports on what ESA has recently learned about the nature of solar flares.
New sunspot 1123 in the Sun's southern hemisphere is crackling with C-class solar flares.
The flare may spark auroras in the northern latitudes.
Credit: NASA
Earlier last week, active sunspot 1121 has unleashed one of the brightest x-ray solar flares in years, an M5.4-class eruption at 15:36 UT on Nov. 6th. Video below.
Active Region 1121 unleashes x-ray flare.
Credit: NASA/SDO/AIA
Radiation from the flare created a wave of ionization in Earth's upper atmosphere that altered the propagation of low-frequency radio waves. There was, however, no bright CME (plasma cloud) hurled in our direction, so the event was unlikely to produce auroras in the nights.
This was the third M-flare in as many days last week from this increasingly active sunspot. So far none of the eruptions has been squarely Earth-directed, but this could change in the days ahead as the sun's rotation turns the active region toward our planet.
Active Region 1121 unleashes M5.4 class eruption at 15:36 UT on Nov. 6, 2010. This video shows the intricate detail of this event.
Credit: SOHO
SOHO EIT 284 Latest Image 22/14/3020
source: nanopatentsandinnovations.blogspot.com/2010/11/coronal-mass-ejection-headed-towards.html