Re: THE SUN TODAY - What is Happening.
INCOMING CME: A CME launched from the sun on March 9th is nearing Earth. According to analysts at the Goddard Space Weather Lab, the cloud will arrive on March 11th at 0649 UT (+/- 7 hr). This is not a particularly potent CME. Nevertheless, high-latitude geomagnetic storms are possible when it arrives. Aurora alerts: text, phone.
WEEKEND SOLAR FLARE: Sunspot AR1429 is still erupting this weekend. On Saturday, March 10th, it produced a powerful M8-class flare that almost crossed the threshold into X-territory. During the flare, New Mexico amateur astronomer Thomas Ashcraft recorded a series of radio bursts at 21 and 28 MHz:
Listen here -
http://www.spaceweather.com/images2012/ ... 0u4i2o2560The roaring sounds you just heard are caused by shock waves plowing through the sun's atmosphere in the aftermath of the explosion. "There is incredible complexity in the waveforms," notes Ashcraft. "This is a recording of one of the most turbulent events in all of Nature!"
In addition, the explosion propelled yet another CME toward Earth. According to a forecast track prepared by analysts at the Goddard Space Weather Lab, the cloud will hit our planet's magnetosphere on March 12th at 1803 UT (+/- 7 hr), possibly sparking a new round of geomagnetic storms.
After passing Earth, the CME will also hit the Mars Science Lab (MSL) spacecraft on March 13th followed by Mars itself on March 14th. Mars rover Curiosity onboard MSL might get some interesting readings as the cloud passes by.
CONVERGING PLANETS: Venus and Jupiter are converging for a remarkably close encounter. On March 12th and 13th the two bright planets will lie scarcely 3o apart in the wester
"Venus and Jupiter glitter so clearly, they are like beautiful diamonds in the sky," says Nikodem. "It is an amazing and unique view."As the distance between them shrinks, Venus and Jupiter can become physiologically mesmerizing, according to NASA. Look for them before the sky fades completely black. The two planets surrounded by twilight blue is a beautiful sight indeed. [Sky maps: March 12, 13]
CALM BEFORE THE STORM: Earth's magnetic field is growing quiet again after two days of geomagnetic storming prompted by CME impacts. At the peak of the disturbance on March 9th, Northern Lights were spotted in the United States as far south as the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Oregon, Wyoming, Illinois, Montana, and even Kansas. The finest displays, as usual, were reserved for Alaska:
Almost immediately after sunset, the sky began to fill with ribbons of auroras above Chena Hot Springs (just outside Fairbanks) in Alaska," reports photographer Christopher Freemantle. "The intensity grew until very bright, multicoloured and fast moving auroras were visible."
Although the magnetosphere is calm now, more storms arre in tthe offing. A CME hurled toward our planet by the M6-class solar flare of March 9th is expected to reach Earth during the early hours of March 11th. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras.
http://www.spaceweather.com/
GOOD PEOPLE ..........GO OUTSIDE IN THE EARLY EVENING AND WATCH THESE TWO JEWELS IN THE SKY. MAGIC.