Tag Archive | spaceweather

SPACEWEATHER: Spinning Sunspot, a Fly-Over, and the New Moon

Jul14

Rotation of a sunspot – AR4482, Taken by Maximilian-Vlad Teodorescu on July 11, 2026 @ Institute of Space Science, Romania

Turning To the Light

Photo Details:
Sunspots rotate. It is known for some time now, but it is nice to actually see that for yourself. Here is a crude animation showing sunspot group AR4482 over the course of 5 days (7 to 11 of July, 2026). Note the different sections rotate differently. The upper part rotates anticlockwise quite fast, while the lower part has different motions inside it. More on sunspot rotation here.

SPACEWEATHER.COM NEWS: 07/14/2026

A SPINNING SUNSPOT: Planets spin. Moons spin. Stars spin. Is it any surprise that sunspots also spin? Maximilian-Vlad Teodorico photographed the phenomenon last week (July 7-11) when sunspot AR4482 pinwheeled across the solar disk:

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SPACEWEATHER: Airglow, New Moon, and the “anti-Russell-McFerron Effect”

Jun14

Structured Airglow, Taken by Aaron Watson on June 13, 2026 @ West Elk Mountains, Colorado

Dark Sky Observations

Days surrounding the New Moon, June 15, 2026, offer the dark skies for stargazing. The “anti-Russell-McFerron Effect” may be the reason that CME’s haven’t landed as hard as expected.

SPACEWEATHER.COM NEWS: 06/14/2026

LOOK FOR AIRGLOW TONIGHT: There’s a new Moon on June 14th. That means it’s a good night to look for airglow. Aaron Watson photographed the phenomenon on June 13th from the West Elk Mountains of Colorado:

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SPACEWEATHER: Venus and Jupiter Converge; a Weak CME, and Another On the Way

Jun7

Venus Jupiter Conjunction

The Expected and Unexpected

SPACEWEATHER.COM NEWS: 06/07/2026

WATCH VENUS AND JUPITER CONVERGE THIS WEEKEND: It’s happening now. The two brightest planets in the Solar System are converging for one of the best sunset conjunctions in years. On June 8th and 9th, Jupiter and Venus will be only 1.6 degrees apart. Valerie Liard sends this picture of the converging planets from Epernay, Marne, France:

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SPACEWEATHER: Quick Update on the Behemoth Sunspot

May23

Emerging Light

The behemoth sunspot region is now seen emerging to the Earth side.

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SPACEWEATHER: Venus and Jupiter Converging; Starship Launch

May22

Moon, Venus and Jupiter, Taken by Marek Nikodem on May 19, 2026 @ near Szubin, Poland

A Daily Convergence of Light

SPACEWEATHER.COM NEWS: 05/22/2026

VENUS AND JUPITER ARE CONVERGING: Earlier this week, sky watchers around the world witnessed a beautiful alignment of Venus, Jupiter and the crescent Moon in the sunset sky. Marek Nikodem photographed the trio from Szubin, Poland:

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SPACEWEATHER: Hours Long X-Class Solar Flare

Mar30

X1.5-Class Eruption, Likely Earth-directed

SPACEWEATHER.COM NEWS: 03/30/2026

LONG DURATION X-CLASS SOLAR FLARE: Growing sunspot 4405 erupted again on March 30th, producing an X1.5-class solar flare. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured the hours-long explosion:

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SPACEWEATHER: Pi Day Storm Watch; Comets vs Starlink

Mar11

Looking Forward to the Perfect Circle: Pi, 3:14

SPACEWEATHER.COM NEWS: 03/11/2026

PI DAY GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH: Minor G1-class geomagnetic storms are possible on March 14th (Pi Day) when a stream of solar wind is expected to hit Earth’s magnetic field. The gaseous material is flowing from a long narrow hole in the sun’s atmosphere.

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SPACEWEATHER: M4-Class Solar from Sunspot 4317; and Colors of Vega

Dec29

More Than What Appears To Be

SPACEWEATHER.COM NEWS 12/29/2025

EARTH-DIRECTED SOLAR FLARE AND CME: Sunspot 4317 was not considered to be a threat for flares–but it erupted anyway. On Dec. 28th (2239 UTC), the sunspot produced an M4-class solar flare shown here in a movie from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory.

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SPACEWEATHER: Solstice Analemma and Christmas Lights

Dec21

Solstice on the lake, Taken by Paolo Bardelli on December 20, 2021 @ Schiranna (Varese), Italy

The Sun’s Course, and Auroras in the Forecast

SPACEWEATHER.COM NEWS: 12/21/2025

A SOLSTICE ANALEMMA: If you took a picture of the sun at the same time each day, would it remain in the same position? The answer is “no”, and the figure-8 shape traced out by the sun over the course of a year is called an analemma.

Italian photographer Paolo Bardelli stitched together 48 pictures spanning 12 months to reveal the analemma over Lake Varese. The low-hanging solstice sun is highlighted.

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SPACEWEATHER: CME Possible Today; Stronger Storms Likely

Nov16

Solar Cycle 25 Far from Finished

“Statistically speaking, the declining phases of solar cycles are when some of the strongest storms occur.”

SPACEWEATHER.COM NEWS: 11/16/2025

X-CLASS SOLAR FLARE AND CME: Sunspot 4274 erupted again yesterday, producing a powerful X4-class solar flare. Unlike previous explosions, this one was not directly facing Earth. Most of the CME will miss our planet. Even so, a glancing blow is possible on Nov. 16th. NOAA forecasters have issued a G1-class geomagnetic storm watch for Nov. 16th and 17th.

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