Sun

Current Solar X-ray Images

Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)

(where is the satellite that took these images? click here)

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory images the solar atmosphere at several wavelengths, and therefore, shows solar material at different temperatures. In the images taken at 304 Angstrom the bright material is at 60,000 to 80,000 degrees Kelvin. In those taken at 171 Angstrom, at 1 million degrees. 193 Angstrom images correspond to about 1.5 million Kelvin. The hotter the temperature, the higher you look in the solar atmosphere.

A composite of these images can be seen here.

Current sunspots

Latest Sunspot Cycle progression (live)

Current Solar activity

GOES X-ray flux

(detecting flare's in this graph)

(a more detailed description of current flares and space weather events)

This plot shows 3-days of 5-minute solar x-ray flux values measured on the SWPC primary GOES satellite. One low value may appear prior to eclipse periods. Some data dropouts will occur during satellite eclipses. During the spring and fall, GOES satellites experience eclipses in which the Earth or moon blocks the X-ray instrument view to the sun for a short period every day. Eclipse season lasts for about 45 to 60 days and ranges from minutes to just over an hour. At these times there is a gap in the XRS signal shown

Anything over 10-4 (X class) is a major solar flare.

Space Weather Alerts 

(understand the graph)

click on the symbols in the graph for more details

(details of flares and other space weather can be found here, 

and an appropriately named solar geek site is here)

Solar Wind Forecast

over next few days

Current Aurora forecast

Current Aurora forecast

This plot shows the current extent and position of the auroral oval in the northern hemisphere, extrapolated from measurements taken during the most recent polar pass of the NOAA POES satellite. The statistical pattern depicting the auroral oval is appropriate to the auroral activity level determined from the power flux observed during the most recent polar satellite pass. The power fluxes in the statistical pattern are color coded on a scale from 0 to 10 ergs .cm-2.sec-1 according to the color bar . The pattern has been oriented with respect to the underlying geographic map using the current universal time, updated every ten minutes.

This presentation provides an estimate of the location, extent, and intensity of aurora on a global basis. For example, the presentation gives a guide to the possibility that the aurora is located near a given location in the northern hemisphere under the conditions that existed at the time of the most recent polar satellite pass.