A magnetic filament on the sun erupted hurling inky-black fragments of itself into space. CME expected this week.

by Dr. Tony Phillips.

GLANCING-BLOW CME EXPECTED THIS WEEK:

 

A magnetic filament on the sun erupted during the late hours of Nov. 15th, hurling inky-black fragments of itself into space. Shortly thereafter, a CME was observed racing away from the sun:

Storm track models from NOAA suggest that the CME will deliver a glancing blow to Earth's magnetic field on Nov. 18th or 19th. There is a 70% chance of polar geomagnetic storms when the CME arrives.

Actually, the arrival of the CME could be the second strike. A co-rotating interaction region (CIR) is also expected to hit Earth's magnetic field on Nov. 18th. CIRs are transition zones between fast- and slow-moving solar wind streams. Solar wind plasma piles up in these regions, producing density gradients and shock waves that do a good job of sparking auroras.

The double impact, CIR followed by CME, could produce a G1 or G2-class geomagnetic storm and bright auroras around the Arctic Circle. Observers in northern-tier US states from Maine to Washington should be alert for colorful lights in the midnight sky

Destructive solar blasts narrowly missed Earth in 2012: scientists

The Sydney Morning Herald

March 20, 2014

Laila Kearney

Fierce solar blasts that could have badly damaged electrical grids and disabled satellites in space narrowly missed Earth in 2012, researchers say.

The bursts would have wreaked havoc on the Earth's magnetic field, matching the severity of the 1859 Carrington event, the largest solar magnetic storm ever reported on the planet. That blast knocked out the telegraph system across the United States, according to University of California, Berkeley research physicist Janet Luhmann.

"Had it hit Earth, it probably would have been like the big one in 1859, but the effect today, with our modern technologies, would have been tremendous," Luhmann said.

A series of images from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory show the first moments of an X-class significant solar flare in different wavelengths of light. Flares are often related to coronal mass ejections. Photo: Reuters

A 2013 study estimated a solar storm like the Carrington Event could take a $US2.6 trillion bite out of the current global economy.

Massive bursts of solar wind and magnetic fields, shot into space on July 23, 2012, would have been aimed directly at Earth if they had happened nine days earlier, Luhmann said.

Read More and Watch Video Here

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Space weather balloon launched Jan. 8th by the students of Earth to Sky Calculus has been recovered from its landing site in Death Valley National Park

Spaceweather.com

SPACE WEATHER BALLOON UPDATE: 
 
by Dr. Tony Phillips.


The payload of a space weather balloon launched Jan. 8th by the students of Earth to Sky Calculus has been recovered from its landing site in Death Valley National Park. The purpose of the flight was to study a solar radiation storm in progress at the time of the launch. Analyzing the data may take a few days. Meanwhile, here is the view from the stratosphere:

These pictures were taken by a pair of Hero3+ cameras looking out of the payload capsule. The upper frame shows the Sierra Nevada mountain range, unusually brown for this time of year as California endures a historic drought. The lower frame captures the balloon popping at an altitude of approximately 100,000 feet. Click on each frame for a closer look. The landscape shot was made using the Hero3+'s new "superview mode"--a favorite of snowboarders and now, for the first time, balloonists!

In addition to cameras, the payload contained an x-ray/gamma-ray dosimeter, a GPS altimeter, and a cryogenic thermometer. Together these instruments can form a complete thermal and radiation profile of the atmosphere throughout the flight. The students plan to pay special attention to data collected at aviation altitudes to learn how much radiation air travelers absorb during periods of high solar activity.

5.0 Earthquake Hits Cuba As Geomagnetic Storm Hits Earth

DAHBOO77


   

Published on Jan 9, 2014

These are the latest quake updates for the US!

http://spaceweather.com/
http://quakes.globalincidentmap.com/

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Spaceweather.com
by Dr. Tony Phillips.
GROWING QUIET?
Giant sunspot AR1944 has not unleashed a significant flare in more than 48 hours. The growing quiet could be the calm between storms. AR1944 has an unstable 'beta-gamma-delta' magnetic field that harbors energy for X-class flares.  

CME IMPACT:

As predicted, a CME hit Earth's magnetic field on Jan. 9th (20:00 UT). The impact was weaker than expected, however, and it failed to produce widespread geomagnetic storms. Nevertheless, some beautiful auroras appeared around the Arctic Circle. Harald Albrigtsen sends this picture from Tromsø, Norway:

It was dark in Norway when the CME arrived, so observers there witnessed a nice display. By the time night fell over North America, however, the lights had faded. US observers saw nothing remarkable.

More auroras are possible on Jan. 10th as Earth passes through the magnetic wake of the CME. NOAA forecasters estimate a 85% chance of polar geomagnetic storms before the day is over.

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Massive Solar storm strikes Earth following monster flare

Newsnation6


 

Published on Jan 10, 2014

A large coronal mass ejection has reached Earth -- days after the Sun sent a massive burst of solar wind and electromagnetic radiation towards our planet. While causing no major geomagnetic storm, it has produced spectacular auroras in northern Europe.

The coronal mass ejection (CME) arrived near Earth at 2:32pm EST (7:32pm GMT) on Thursday, with its effects expected to continue throughout Friday, according to US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center has issued a warning of a geomagnetic storm with "minor disruptions to communications and GPS."
While the world's economies braced for possible blackouts in high-frequency airline and military communications, disruptions to GPS signals and power grids, enthusiasts in the northern hemisphere rushed outdoors in the hope of viewing the stunning aurora borealis as far south as Colorado.
However, American aurora spotters have been disappointed, as, according to spaceweather.com, the CME's impact was "weaker than expected" and failed to produce widespread storms. Some frustrated Twitter users also blamed cloudy skies for not being able to see the northern lights.
Observers were luckier around the Arctic Circle in Norway, where a dark and clear night at the time of impact, as well as more favorable latitude, put an aurora on display.
NOAA forecasters still estimated an 85 percent chance of polar geomagnetic storms before the end of Friday, and media cheered the sky watchers by saying there remains a chance of some clear aurora sightings Friday night.
The CME that stroke the Earth has been associated with the large X1.2-class solar flare that was unleashed from a giant sunspot AR1944 on January 7. The flare has been described as the most powerful this year so far, with X-class denoting the most severe intensity.

,,,,,

Solar storm strikes Earth following monster flare (VIDEO)

This January 7, 2014 handout image captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory shows a false-color composite image from a blast of activity originating from an active sunspot region at the center of the sun's disk (AFP Photo)

Published time: January 10, 2014 18:14  

 

A large coronal mass ejection has reached Earth – days after the Sun sent a massive burst of solar wind and electromagnetic radiation towards our planet. While causing no major geomagnetic storm, it has produced spectacular auroras in northern Europe.
The coronal mass ejection (CME) arrived near Earth at 2:32pm EST (7:32pm GMT) on Thursday, with its effects expected to continue throughout Friday, according to US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center has issued a warning of a geomagnetic storm with “minor disruptions to communications and GPS.”

While the world’s economies braced for possible blackouts in high-frequency airline and military communications, disruptions to GPS signals and power grids, enthusiasts in the northern hemisphere rushed outdoors in the hope of viewing the stunning aurora borealis as far south as Colorado.

However, American aurora spotters have been disappointed, as, according to spaceweather.com, the CME’s impact was “weaker than expected” and failed to produce widespread storms. Some frustrated Twitter users also blamed cloudy skies for not being able to see the northern lights.

Wow RT @EdPiotrowski: Harald Albrigsten captures the #aurora in all its glory tonight in Kvaløya, Norway. pic.twitter.com/BMlfgm2Yap
— Maninder Dhaliwal (@dhaliwalmk) January 10, 2014

Observers were luckier around the Arctic Circle in Norway, where a dark and clear night at the time of impact, as well as more favorable latitude, put an aurora on display.
NOAA forecasters still estimated an 85 percent chance of polar geomagnetic storms before the end of Friday, and media cheered the sky watchers by saying there remains a chance of some clear aurora sightings Friday night.

The CME that stroke the Earth has been associated with the large X1.2-class solar flare that was unleashed from a giant sunspot AR1944 on January 7. The flare has been described as the most powerful this year so far, with X-class denoting the most severe intensity.

Read More and Watch Videos Here
.....

M 5.1 - 24km NNW of Corralillo, Cuba

 2014-01-09 20:57:43 UTC

 

Event Time

1. 2014-01-09 20:57:43 UTC
2. 2014-01-09 15:57:43 UTC-05:00 at epicenter
3. 2014-01-09 14:57:43 UTC-06:00 system time

Location

23.189°N 80.677°W depth=10.0km (6.2mi)

Nearby Cities

1. 24km (15mi) NNW of Corralillo, Cuba
2. 36km (22mi) NE of Marti, Cuba
3. 51km (32mi) N of Los Arabos, Cuba
4. 56km (35mi) ENE of Cardenas, Cuba
5. 174km (108mi) E of Havana, Cuba

Related Links

• View location in Google Maps

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Tectonic Summary

The January 9, 2014 M5.1 earthquake in the Gulf of Mexico occurred along the northern coast of west-central Cuba at shallow crustal depths, ~28km from Corralillo, Cuba and ~172 km east of Havana, Cuba.

The island of Cuba lies within the North American plate and is bounded by the Bahamas Platform and Florida Straits to the north and the North America-Caribbean plate boundary to the south. The plate boundary, a left-lateral transform, defines the southeast coast of the island and causes uplift of the Sierra Maestra. In the vicinity of the January 9 earthquake, a former plate boundary suture and several faults, collectively termed the Nortecubana Fault system, bound the northern coast of Cuba. Additionally, several smaller crustal faults, including the left-lateral Hicacos Fault and Las Villas fault are located in the general vicinity of the January 9 earthquake. The region of the January 9 earthquake is relatively quiet seismically. Only 6 documented events ranging from M3.0-5.6 occurred over the past 75 years within 200 km of the epicenter. The M5.6 event, which occurred in 1939, also took place along the northern coast of Cuba in the vicinity of the Nortecubana Fault system. The January 9 event occurred 686 km ESE of the September 2006 M5.8 Gulf of Mexico earthquake.

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Contributed by USGS National Earthquake Information Center

Instrumental Intensity

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The sun’s magnetic field will reverse polarity at some point in the coming weeks, sending ripples to the edge of interstellar space

independent.co.uk

Sun will 'flip upside down' within weeks, says Nasa

The sun’s magnetic field will reverse polarity at some point in the coming weeks, sending ripples to the edge of interstellar space
The Sun is set to “flip upside down” within weeks as its magnetic field reverses polarity in an event that will send ripple effects throughout the solar system.
Although it may sound like a catastrophic occurrence, there’s no need to run for cover. The sun switches its polarity, flipping its magnetic north and south, once every eleven years through an internal mechanism about which little is understood.
The swap could however cause intergalactic weather fronts such as geomagnetic storms, which can interfere with satellites and cause radio blackouts.
Nasa said in August that the change would happen in three to four months time, but it is impossible to give a more specific date. Scientist won’t know for around another three weeks whether the flip is complete.
The impact of the transfer will be widespread as the sun’s magnetic field exerts influence well beyond Pluto, past Nasa's Voyager probes positioned near the edge of interstellar space.

Read More Here

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