Tag Archive | spaceweather

SPACEWEATHER: Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS

Aug26

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope observed interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS Aug. 6, with its Near-Infrared Spectrograph instrument. Webb is one of NASA’s space telescopes observing this comet, together providing more information about its size, physical properties, and chemical makeup. Webb’s data, and a preprint is available online.

“Unlike nearly any comet in the Solar System”

SPACEWEATHER.COM NEWS: 08/26/2025 UPDATED

IS 3I/ATLAS REALLY A COMET? The most interesting mystery in astronomy right now is the nature of interstellar object 3I/ATLAS. Most astronomers believe it is a comet. However, iconoclast Avi Loeb of Harvard University makes a compelling case that it might not be. 

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SPACEWEATHER UPDATE: A Phalanx of Sunspots Turning Toward Earth.

Aug26

A Field of Fire Moving Into Earth’s Strikezone

SPACEWEATHER.COM NEWS: 08/26/2025

EARTH IS ALMOST IN THE STRIKE ZONE: A phalanx of large sunspots is turning toward Earth. Sunspot 4199 is crackling with M-class flares, while big sunspot 4197 has a delta-class magnetic field that harbors energy for even stronger X-flares. Earth is almost in the strike zone of these active regions, and we will be squarely bulls-eyed later this week. 

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SPACEWEATHER: Solar Flares, Proton Storms, Noctilucent Clouds (NLCs)

Aug25

Light Raining Down On Earth

SPACEWEATHER.COM NEWS: 08/25/2025

THE FARSIDE SUNSPOTS HAVE ARRIVED: Last week, sunspot groups on the farside of the sun hurled multiple significant CMEs into space. Here’s an example. They’re not on the farside anymore. Today, the active regions are turning to face Earth:

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SPACEWEATHER: 3-Hour Flare and a Solar Tornado

Aug19

The Sun Only “Appeared” to Be Silent

SPACEWEATHER.COM NEWS: 08/19/2025 (UPDATED)

LONG-DURATION SOLAR FLARE: New sunspot 4188 exploded, producing an M1-class solar flare that lasted more than 3 hours. The long-duration event engulfed almost half of the sun’s southeastern limb and probably hurled a significant CME into space. Stay tuned for updates.

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Stargazing: Lights that Break at Dawn

Aug10

VENUS near JUPITER, Taken by Georg Klingersberger on August 8, 2025 @ Kobernaußen Upper Austria

Venus, Jupiter, the Perseids, and Maybe a Fireball

SPACEWEATHER.COM NEWS: 08/10/2025

SET YOUR ALARM FOR DAWN: Venus and Jupiter are converging in the eastern dawn sky for a spectacular conjunction. At closest approach on Aug. 11-13, the two planets will shine like a bright double star–easy to see even from brightly-lit cities.

At daybreak on Aug. 8th, Georg Klingersberger of Kobernaußen, Austria, photographed the pair just above the waxing twilight.

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SPACEWEATHER: Almost X-Class Solar Flare

Jan31

Brief shortwave radio blackout over South America

SPACEWEATHER.COM NEWS: 01/31/2025 UPDATED

ALMOST-X CLASS SOLAR FLARE: Giant sunspot AR3976 unleashed an M6.7-class solar flare (animated) today (1406 UTC), almost reaching category X. The explosion caused a brief shortwave radio blackout over South America, and it might have hurled a CME into space. Confirmation awaits fresh images from SOHO coronagraphs. 

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Earth’s Magnetic North Pole Officially Has A New Position, Just Before Christmas

Dec24

World Magnetic Model 2025, one of the key tools developed to model the change in Earth’s magnetic field. Credit: NOAA/NCEI

Earth’s Magnetic North Pole is moving and changing faster than ever, surprising scientists

What does it mean? Some hope this doesn’t screw up Santa’s deliveries tracked by GPS. Where will the Monarchs, Penguins, and GPS Tractors go? The Magnetic Pole is different than the geographical North Pole. There’s no existing research on the effects upon geography.

Reports from NOAA/NCEI set the standard GPS position of true North. Polar shifts happen every 11 years on the Sun. The Earth’s poles have reversed “200 times over the past 100 million years. The most recent…  approximately 800,000 years ago.”

The Sun in Perihelion is in its closest position to Earth, increasing the force of geomagnetic attraction. The Sun’s Magnetic Pole flip is part of the Solar Maximum that may last another two years.

This post includes briefs from two articles in the details and impacts of our wandering Magnetic North Pole.

Happy Christmas Eve!
And, good luck with your Uber deliveries.

Debra

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SPACEWEATHER: M8.9-Class Solar Flare

Dec23

SPACEWEATHER.COM NEWS: 12/23/2024

STRONG SOLAR FLARE AND CME: New sunspot AR3932 erupted today, producing an M8.9-class solar flare, only percentage points from category X. NOAA’s GOES-16 satellite recorded the extreme ultraviolet flash:

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SPACEWEATHER: NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Gears Up to “Touch” the Sun on Christmas Eve

Dec23

Human’s Closest Approach to the Sun

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is set to make a groundbreaking approach to the sun on December 24, 2024.

Traveling at a record-breaking speed of 430,000 mph (692,017.37 km/h), the spacecraft will become the closest human-made object to the sun, venturing just 3.8 million miles from its fiery surface.

This historic mission aims to “touch the sun,” uncovering secrets about the sun’s atmosphere and its effects on the Earth and solar system. The daring flyby on Christmas Eve is part of a final series of close approaches, pushing the boundaries of human exploration. 

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SPACEWEATHER: Unexpected Auroras 12/17/2024

Dec17

Red aurora visible to the eye, Taken by Sacha Layos on December 17, 2024 @ Fairbanks, AK (Source: Spaceweather.com Realtime Image Gallery)

SPACEWEATHER.COM NEWS: 12/17/2024 UPDATED

UNEXPECTED CME IMPACT: A CME was supposed to narrowly miss Earth today. Instead, it delivered a direct hit. The impact on Dec. 17th (0519 UT) sparked a G1-class geomagnetic storm with bright auroras over Alaska:

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