December 4, 2014 - SPACE - Here are several of the latest developments in space.
Strong Solar Flare Observed
A
noteworthy solar flare measuring M6.1 was observed around region 2222
peaking at 18:25 UTC. This resulted in a short lived R2 level radio
blackout on the sunlit side of Earth. The active region is still in a
decent position for Earth directed coronal mass ejections. More updates
later today should a CME be associated.
ALERT: X-Ray Flux exceeded M5
Threshold Reached: 2014 Dec 04 1821 UTC
NOAA Scale: R2 - Moderate
Potential
Impacts: Area of impact centered on sub-solar point on the sunlit side
of Earth. Extent of blackout of HF (high frequency) radio communication
dependent upon current X-ray Flux intensity. For real-time information
on affected area and expected duration please see http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/drap.
Solar activity during the
past 24 hours reached moderate levels. Prior to the M6.1 flare, region
2222 produced an M1.3 solar flare at 08:10 UTC. The active region was
also responsible for a number of low to mid level C-Flares.
In
addition, minor C-Flares were observed around region 2226 and off the
southeast limb. All other visible numbered regions were either stable or
in a state of decay. Region 2222 will remain a threat for another
M-Flare during the next few days. The region has an unstable
"beta-gamma" magnetic field that harbors energy for moderately-strong
explosions. NOAA forecasters estimate a 40% chance of M-class flares on
December 4th. No Earth directed coronal mass ejections were detected
during the past 24 hours.
Watch Out For Moon Halos
This
week the Moon is waxing full, which means now is the time to watch out
for Moon halos. Bright moonlight shining through ice crystals in the air
can create a luminous network of arcs, pillars and 'dogs around the
lunar disk. James Helmericks photographed this example on Dec. 3rd from
the Colville River Delta in northern Alaska:
"At 3 o'clock in the
morning in northern Alaska, I went out to film the Moon," says
Helmericks. "At first, the Moon was surrounded by little more than a
slight corona. After a while, though, all the thicker clouds departed,
leaving behind a layer of high icy clouds, and we were also engulfed in
thin freezing mist. When this happened a whole new set of phenomena
appeared, and I snapped the picture above."
The produce such a
complex display, the clouds and mist must have contained a variety of
ice crystals, with many shapes and orientations. Atmospheric optics
expert Les Cowley was also amazed by the brightness of the halos:
"This
ice halo display would stand out if made by the sun. Made by the very
much dimmer Moon 'as black as coal' it is truly remarkable," Cowley
says. "The parselenic circle crossing through the Moon (only the sun
makes parhelic circles) is hugely bright. Moondogs to the left and right
of the Moon are intense, too. Because everything is so bright, we can
see many halos that often go unnoticced. An upper tangent arc sits atop
the familiar 22 degree halo. There is an outer more rare 46 degree
halo. We know it is that rather than the more common supralateral arc
because it does not quite touch the circumzenithal arc at the picture's
top."
"The temperature was -7F with 10 knots of wind, so one
needed to be bundled up to enjoy the view," adds Helmericks. That's why
they call them "ice halos."
The Return of the Evening Star
For
the past two months Venus has been passing behind the sun. Now the
second planet is emerging from the glare, setting the stage for The
Return of the Evening Star. Yesterday in Spain, the astrophotography
group Project Nightflight spotted the silvery light of Venus beaming
through the Atlantic sunset:
"Venus is beginning a new evening
apparition," says Project Nightflight. "After sunset it is very low in
the sky and sets quickly. To catch a glimpse of the Evening Star, you
will need crisp skies and an unobstructed view of the western horizon. A
pair of binoculars will help spot it."
"Visibility will improve
during the weeks ahead," they add. "By the end of December, Venus should
be plainly visible even from mid northern latitudes."
A date of
particular interest is Dec. 22nd when a super-slender 2% crescent Moon
will pass Venus in the evening twilight. Astrophotographers, ready your
cameras!
Electric-Blue Clouds Spreading Over Antarctica
Noctilucent
clouds (NLCs) around the south pole are spreading and brightening. The
latest preliminary image from NASA's AIM spacecraft shows more than 4
times the coverage of just a few days ago:
The season for southern
hemisphere noctilucent clouds (NLCs) began on Nov. 22nd with just a few
puffy clouds over the frozen continent. Once NLCs first appear, AIM has
shown that they rapidly multiply. Indeed, this is happening now, and
much of Antarctica soon could be blanketed in electric blue.
Earlier
this year, AIM researchers announced a surprising teleconnection: The
apparition of NLCs in the southern hemisphere is linked to cold air
temperatures thousands of miles away in the northern hemisphere."For
example, we found that the winter air temperature in Indianapolis,
Indiana, is well correlated with the frequency of noctilucent clouds
over Antarctica," says Cora Randall, AIM science team member and Chair
of the Dept. of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of
Colorado. Other US cities were similarly correlated.
Data from
previous seasons show a 2-week time lag between cold outbreaks in the
north and changes to NLCs in the south. However, because the 2014-2015
season is less than two weeks old, the correlation is not yet obvious.
"I don't expect the northern hemisphere (NH) teleconnection signal to
have significant effects on the onset of the southern hemisphere (SH)
season for noctilucent clouds," says Randall. "But once planetary wave
activity in the SH stratosphere is quiet (should be soon), then I would
expect the connections with the NH winter to become more evident."
Randall
and a group of colleagues led by Laura Holt of NorthWest Research
Associates have just submitted a paper to the Geophysical Research
Letters detailing the link between northern winter and southern NLCs. If
you have a GRL subscription, keep an eye out for theirfuture article
entitled "Summertime polar mesospheric clouds linked to wintertime
surface cold air outbreaks."
Fireballs
Every
night, a network of NASA all-sky cameras scans the skies above the
United States for meteoritic fireballs. Automated software maintained by
NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office calculates their orbits, velocity,
penetration depth in Earth's atmosphere and many other characteristics.
Daily results are presented here on Spaceweather.com.
On December 4, 2014, the network reported 7 fireballs.
In this
diagram of the inner solar system, all of the fireball orbits intersect
at a single point--Earth. The orbits are color-coded by velocity, from
slow (red) to fast (blue).
-
Space Weather |
Solar Ham.
