X-Ray Solar Flare 4/6 - 4/7 2012

NOAA NWS Space Weather Prediction Center has stated today that a low level X Ray flare emitted energy on the sun's surface. We will review and add updates to the continuing solar storm activity.


Another note, The_Weather_Vane has added a new Page button adding "Space Weather" tools.

The youTube video below is actually from helioviewer.org


Enjoy!

AccuWeather.com - Weather Video - Could a Solar Flare Destroy the Earth?

AccuWeather.com - Weather Video - Could a Solar Flare Destroy the Earth?

Solar activity is ramping up in the year 2012; 


how harmful could it be? 


Click the link at the top to open the video; 
courtesy of AccuWeather

Solar Tsunami

More Space Weather

The Solar Dynamics Observatory (NASA) has collected data, photos and video, from the event that occurred today, March 7th, 2012.  Two very strong X-class solar flares shot out of the sun which are also known as a CME or Coronal Mass Ejection. This solar energy is shooting across space at an incredible 1,000,000 Miles per hour and is also being described as a Solar Tsunami.

Reading information found on the Space Weather Prediction Center, you can see that in the past 24 hours we have been in a "S3"level  Solar storm and there is a warning that suggests that people should avoid traveling in high altitude commercial flights due to a higher level of exposure to proton radiation.



Here is a video online of the CME and Sunspot 1429.

SOHO and Solar Flares

SOHO

The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory is a fantastic international project between Europe and the US for the study of the Sun. (NASA, ESA).  Knowing that we are experiencing solar storms, I wanted to show what is used to help measure them.

What are the 12 on board instruments?

Able to measure core temperatures of the sun, interior rotation and gas flows in the solar interior, and acceleration of solar wind. Also has the ability to measure coronal waves and solar tornadoes.

SOHO has an orbit between the Sun and Earth, actually is 1.5 million kilometers away from the Earth, and  With this orbit, it has a constant view to study the Sun.
SOHO also discovered over 2,000 comets, making this a valuable tool in astronomical history.

SOHO has twelve instruments on board which aids us in the study of the Sun and helps us to measure and predict Space Weather events.

CELIAS - Charge, Element & Isotope Analysis System.
This measures the solar wind and detects solar storms.

COSTEP - Comprehensive Suprathermal & Energetic Particle Analyzer. this detects and classifies solar energy particles that come from the Sun, interplanetary and galactic origins.

EIT - Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope.  EIT shows the full disc images of the sun in different colors in extreme ultraviolet spectrum. 

ERNE - Measures high-energy particles emitted from the sun and from the Milky Way.

GOLF - Global Oscillations at Low Frequencies, measuring the solar internal structure.

LASCO - Large Angle & Spectrometric Coronograph. LASCO measures the outer solar atmosphere or corona.

MIDI - Michelson Doppler Imager/ Solar Oscillations Investigation. Measures solar acoustic waves  and the longitudinal component of the Sun's magnetic field.

SUMER- Solar Ultraviolet Measurements of Emitted Radiation. Measures plasma flows by temperature, density which helps to calculate the solar atmosphere.

SWAN - Solar Wind Anisotropies An instrument that measures the rest of the sky by detecting hydrogen that is blowing into the Solar System from interstellar space.

UVCS - UltraViolet Coronograph Spectrometer. Measures Ultra violet light of the solar corona by creating an artificial solar ecplipse.

VIRGO - Variability of Solar Irradiance and Gravity Oscillations.  Calculates the "Solar Constant" by measuring solar intensity oscillations.

For more information, please visit ;
http://www.esa.int/export/esaSC/index.html

Space Weather – Solar Storms

The cold wave that hit Europe was caused by Solar Storm Radiation from space

I have had discussions with a friend of mine about space weather and how it may be affecting our weather here on Earth.  It seems hard to prove that space weather can affect us.   Today I found an article that can help explain these phenomena. 

A Meteorologist from the Belgrade School of Meteorology explained that a solar storm or solar flare may have caused the oppressive weather that has been experienced in much of Europe recently.  According to Milan Stevancevic, this solar energy is the cause of both life constructive and destructive effects on our planet.  Solar flares can also cause earthquakes, and tornadoes with overall, increased rain and winds.  The larger the solar eruption experienced, the more it will affect the winter and the following summer with a higher level of rain.  Stevancevic stated that each solar flare creates proton radiation, which triggers ionization on entering the atmosphere.  The solar storm from January 28^th produced 15 minutes of radiation that was strong enough to equal 5 times of a routine x-ray, apparently clouds absorb this radiation.  The proton radiation triggers particles that increase precipitation and particles that help fertilize the ground.  So what about areas that have a thin or no ozone to protect them from this ionization?  It seems that the proton radiation passes through our atmosphere and this is something that has naturally occurred. 

Here is a current image of the suns solar activity;

 I want to thank the author and the source of this story, a great story for space weather fans. To read on, please click here; http://glassrbije.org/E/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17654&Itemid=28