As the Sun Turns: Solar Minimums and Maximums

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Maria
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Re: As the Sun Turns: Solar Minimums and Maximums

Post by Maria »

Solar winds have set off some beautiful auroras. From http://www.spaceweather.com

My husband's grandparents were fishermen who owned ships in Norway.

GEOMAGNETIC STORM IN PROGRESS: Right now, G1-class geomagnetic storms are sparking bright auroras around the Arctic Circle as a stream of high-speed solar wind buffets Earth's magnetic field. Anne Birgitte Fyhn sends this picture from Kvaløya island in Tromsø, Norway:

Image

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Maria
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Re: As the Sun Turns: Solar Minimums and Maximums

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While AR2721 has decayed and is departing on its 14 day journey on the back side of the sun, a new active region (AR2722?) has emerged. It is now approaching the equatorial area of the sun.

Visit the Sun Today, as this new sunspot region is barely visible. Thus, you will need to enlarge (click) the image linked below.

https://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/assets/img/la ... _HMIIF.jpg

The GOES X-ray flux shows some minor disturbance, which originally alerted me that either a new Active Region was making an appearance and/or a hyderflare event was taking place.

https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/goes-x-ray-flux

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Luke
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Re: As the Sun Turns: Solar Minimums and Maximums

Post by Luke »

I think I see it a little South of the equator?

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Maria
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Re: As the Sun Turns: Solar Minimums and Maximums

Post by Maria »

Luke wrote:

I think I see it a little South of the equator?

Yes, this new sunspot region is south of the equator.

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Maria
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Re: As the Sun Turns: Solar Minimums and Maximums

Post by Maria »

From Belgium's Royal Observatory: New Beta AR2722 near the southern equatorial region of the sun.

AR2722 already appears to be decaying, but that is par for the course during a solar minimum
as Active Regions can quickly develop only to decay rapidly a day later.

COMMENT: Solar activity was very low. A new emerging active region NOAA AR
2722 (Bxo, Beta) has some potential to produce C-class flares.
No earth-
directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were observed. The greater than
10MeV proton flux remained at background levels over the past 24 hours.
Solar activity is expected to remain low.

Solar wind parameters variations decreased after the passage of the co-
rotating intercation region. Solar wind speed decreased from about 590 to
530 km/s. The total interplanetary magnetic field is below 6 nT. Bz varied
between -3 and +5 nT. Geomagnetic conditions gradually decreased from the
moderate storm level yesterday till quiet conditons observed now.
Geomagnetic conditions are expected to be mostly quiet from now.
TODAY'S ESTIMATED ISN : 014, BASED ON 15 STATIONS.

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Re: As the Sun Turns: Solar Minimums and Maximums

Post by Barbara »

That picture from the Feast of St John the Baptist a few days ago is tremendous. Those fortunate Norweigians, to see such sights !

Which part of Norway were Xenios' grandparents from, does he know ?

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Re: As the Sun Turns: Solar Minimums and Maximums

Post by Maria »

Comment from the Belgium Royal Observatory.
We have had an active region (Beta AR2723) on the Western Limb of the sun for three days now,
Sept. 30 through Oct. 2, 2018. As of this hour, the EISN (estimated international sunspot number) is 16.

COMMENT: One active region visible on the solar disc, NOAA 2723 with beta
magnetic field configuration.
No C-class flares in past 24 h. Solar
activity is expected to remain at low levels.

No Earth directed Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) have been detected. Solar
protons have remained at background levels over the past 24 hours.

The solar wind speed is at 480 km/s with interplanetary magnetic fields of
5 nT. Geomagnetic conditions reached active levels between 15:00 UT and
17:00 UT on October 1 at Dourbes (K=4), at planetary levels Kp reached 4
between 12:00 UT and 15:00 UT on October 1 and between 00:00 UT and 03:00
UT on October 2. This was due to solar wind of relatively high speed
(reaching 530 km/s) with interplanetary magnetic fields up to 10 nT with
oscillating periods including negative Bz. Quiet to unsettled conditions
for the coming hours are foreseen. The fast solar wind associated with a
small negative polarity equatorial coronal hole is expected to arrive on
October 4 (or late on October 3), causing up to active geomagnetic
conditions.

TODAY'S ESTIMATED ISN : 014, BASED ON 14 STATIONS.

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10-03-2018_AR2723 in southern hemisphere.jpg
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