M-CLASS SOLAR FLARE: Rash-like sunspot AR2918 erupted during the early hours of Dec. 28th (0401 UT), producing a M1.8-class solar flare: movie. A pulse of X-rays ionized the top of Earth's atmosphere; this, in turn, caused a minor shortwave radio blackout over Australia: map. First-look data suggest no Earth-directed CME will emerge from the blast site.
NO CMEs THIS TIME:
A pair of M1-class solar flares yesterday did *not* hurl CMEs toward Earth. The impulsive flares were too shortlived to lift significant clouds of plasma out of the sun's atnosphere. Maybe next time? The source of the flares, sunspot AR2918, has an unstable 'beta-gamma' magnetic field that is poised to explode again.
A pair of M1-class solar flares yesterday did *not* hurl CMEs toward Earth. The impulsive flares were too shortlived to lift significant clouds of plasma out of the sun's atnosphere. Maybe next time? The source of the flares, sunspot AR2918, has an unstable 'beta-gamma' magnetic field that is poised to explode again.
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What is ACE?
The NASA Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) satellite enables SWPC to give advance warning of geomagnetic storms. Geomagnetic storms are a natural hazard, like hurricanes and tsunamis, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) forecasts for the public's benefit.
Geomagnetic storms impact the electric power grid, aircraft operations, GPS, manned spaceflight, and satellite operations, to name some of the most damaging. Severe geomagnetic storms can result in electric utility blackouts over a wide area.
The location of ACE at the L1 libration point between the Earth and the Sun, about 1,500,000 km forward of Earth, enables ACE to give up to one hour advance warning of the arrival of damaging space weather events at Earth. SWPC issues warnings of imminent geomagnetic storms using these data.
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/ace-real-time-solar-wind
The NASA Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) satellite enables SWPC to give advance warning of geomagnetic storms. Geomagnetic storms are a natural hazard, like hurricanes and tsunamis, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) forecasts for the public's benefit.
Geomagnetic storms impact the electric power grid, aircraft operations, GPS, manned spaceflight, and satellite operations, to name some of the most damaging. Severe geomagnetic storms can result in electric utility blackouts over a wide area.
The location of ACE at the L1 libration point between the Earth and the Sun, about 1,500,000 km forward of Earth, enables ACE to give up to one hour advance warning of the arrival of damaging space weather events at Earth. SWPC issues warnings of imminent geomagnetic storms using these data.
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/ace-real-time-solar-wind