Latest Space Weather Prediction Center Stories

[ Watch the Video ] redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports - Your Universe Online A coronal mass ejection (CME) associated with a solar flare emitted early Thursday morning is unlikely to reach Earth, but it could affect one of the two Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) satellites currently orbiting the sun, NASA officials posted on the agency's official website. According to the US space agency, the sun emitted a mid-level (M7.7) flare on July 19. The flare, which began at...

[ Watch the Video ] redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports - Your Universe Online A solar storm, scheduled to arrive Saturday morning and last through the end of the day on Sunday, is expected to put on a show for sky-gazers but should otherwise have little to no effect, according to scientists. According to the Associated Press (AP), the storm began on Thursday, as the sun unleashed a powerful solar flare -- the sixth recorded by scientists this year. The NOAA Space Weather Prediction...

The geographical sciences website EurekaMag.com publishes insights into specific subjects of all areas of geographical science. The latest review covers Aurora borealis which are the Northern Lights caused by radiation emitted as light from atoms in the upper atmosphere as they are hit by fast-moving electrons and protons. Two other newly published reviews cover Solar Flare which is a large energy release at the sun's surface, and Solar Storm which is a massive burst of solar wind...

Improved Forecasting to Coincide with Peak in Solar Activity After years of relative somnolence, the sun is beginning to stir. By the time it's fully awake in about 20 months, the team at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., charged with researching and tracking solar activity, will have at their dispoal a greatly enhanced forecasting capability. Goddard's Space Weather Laboratory recently received support under NASA's Space Technology Program Game Changing Program to...

[ Watch the Video ] A solar flare from Sunday collided with Earth on Tuesday, becoming the largest solar radiation storm since October 2003. NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center has categorized the storm as "strong," or an S3, storm.  These storms can affect satellite operations and short wave radio propagation, but do not cause any harm to humans on Earth. Some polar flights, including a dozen Delta Air Lines planes, were re-routed to avoid communications lapses and exposing...

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency's (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) issued a geomagnetic storm watch as experts predicted that the biggest solar storm since 2005 is expected to hit Earth Tuesday morning, various media outlets are reporting. According to Fox News reports, at approximately 11pm Eastern time on Sunday night, the sun released an "immense blast of plasma" that has caused authorities to redirect the flight plans of certain high-altitude aircraft. In...

Scientists have warned of a major solar storm hitting the Earth that could possibly knock out radio signals. Experts expect radio blackouts for a few days after the radiation from the coronal mass ejection (CME) hits our planet. The flare is part of a larger increase in activity in the Sun, which is expected to peak around 2013. "Category G1 (Minor) geomagnetic storms are expected 28 and 29 December due to multiple coronal mass ejection arrivals," the National Oceanic and Atmospheric...

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) spotted one of the largest new sunspots to have appeared on the surface of the sun in years. The area is nearly 25,000 miles wide, which is over three times larger than the Earth. NASA said the region has already experienced about eight solar flares, including an M-class flare on November 2. The space agency also said that X-class flares are possible, which includes the largest possible solar flares. The sun shot off a flare from this region...

[ Watch the Video ] NOAA is now using a sophisticated forecast model that substantially improves predictions of space weather impacts on Earth. Better forecasts offer additional protection for people and the technology-based infrastructure we use daily. Explosions in the sun’s outer atmosphere – tracked and forecast by NOAA scientists – can cause geomagnetic and solar radiation storms at Earth that can impede the operation of electrical power grids, interfere with the normal...

NASA will host a media teleconference at 1 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, Sept. 7, to discuss new observations about solar flares that can impact communication and navigation systems. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, is providing new data and images for scientists to better understand the sun's dynamic processes, which can affect Earth. The spacecraft launched in February 2010. Teleconference participants are: -- Madhulika Guhathakurta, SDO program scientist, NASA Headquarters...