Real Time Images of the Sun
SOHO EIT 304
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SOHO EIT 284 Animated
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LASCO/C2
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The sun is constantly monitored for sun spots and coronal mass ejections. EIT (Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope) images the solar atmosphere at several wavelengths, and therefore, shows solar material at different temperatures. In the images taken at 304 Angstrom the bright material is at 60,000 to 80,000 degrees Kelvin. In those taken at 171 Angstrom, at 1 million degrees. 195 Angstrom images correspond to about 1.5 million Kelvin, 284 Angstrom to 2 million degrees. The hotter the temperature, the higher you look in the solar atmosphere.
Solar activity continued at low levels, characterized by less frequent C-class flaring compared to the previous period. Regions 4381 (N08E35, Eao/beta) and 4384 (N10E60, Ehi/beta) remained the primary drivers of activity. Region 4384 rotated further onto the disk, and while foreshortening still hinders definitive magnetic analysis, additional trailing spots were observed rotating into view. Region 4378 (N15E06, Cho/beta) transitioned from an H- back to a C-group as trailing spots exhibited transitory behavior, though the lead spot remained stable in size and the region was inactive. Region 4380 (S21E18, Bxo/beta) decayed into simple, non-penumbral spots. Region 4383 (N15W30, Bxo/beta) remained inactive and stable in overall extent, despite minor spot flux variations (disappearing and reappearing) within its positive polarity pole. For eruptive activity, two filament eruptions occurred: a 20-degree filament near N53E28 (02/0230 UTC) and an 11-degree filament near N10W68 (02/1000 UTC). The northern eruption was first observed in LASCO C2 imagery at 02/0936 UTC, while the western eruption appeared in C2 imagery at 02/1036 UTC. Modeling indicates no Earth-directed components from either event, and no other CMEs of interest were observed in available coronagraph imagery.
Solar Activity Forecast
Issued: 2026 Mar 03 1230 UTC
Solar activity is expected to be at low levels, with a chance for isolated M-class activity (R1-R2/Minor-Moderate) through 05 Mar. Energetic
Real Time Solar X-ray and Solar Wind
Solar Cycle Progression
Solar Cycle chart updated using the latest ISES predictions. |
Real-Time Solar Wind
Real-Time Solar Wind data broadcast from NASA's ACE satellite. |
The Solar Cycle is observed by counting the frequency and placement of sunspots visible on the Sun. Solar minimum occurred in December, 2008. Solar maximum is expected to occur in May, 2013.
Solar X-ray Flux This plot shows 3-days of 5-minute solar x-ray flux values measured on the SWPC primary and secondary GOES satellites. |
Satellite Environment Plot The Satellite Environment Plot combines satellite and ground-based data to provide an overview of the current geosynchronous satellite environment. |
Auroral Activity Extrapolated from NOAA POES
Northern Hemi Auroral Map
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Southern Hemi Auroral Map
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Instruments on board the NOAA Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite (POES) continually monitor the power flux carried by the protons and electrons that produce aurora in the atmosphere. SWPC has developed a technique that uses the power flux observations obtained during a single pass of the satellite over a polar region (which takes about 25 minutes) to estimate the total power deposited in an entire polar region by these auroral particles. The power input estimate is converted to an auroral activity index that ranges from 1 to 10.
Credits:
Space Weather Images and Information (excluded from copyright) courtesy of: NOAA / NWS Space Weather Prediction Center, Mauna Loa Solar Observatory (HAO/NCAR), and SOHO (ESA & NASA).Space Weather links:
3-Day Forecast of Solar and Geophysical Activity
Space Weather Now
Real-Time Solar Wind
Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)
The Very Latest SOHO Images