Solar storm!!

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Expected to last and perhaps increase over the next couple of days....it's a doozy! If that sunspot develops it will further increase effects of the geostorm (G2 at the moment) from the coronal hole we are being blasted with.

May result in increased EQ activity---and a whole lot of agitated people....

 

Wax those spaceboards!

 

http://www.spaceweather.com/

SPACE WEATHERCurrent conditions

 

 

 

 

 

Solar windspeed: 635.5 km/secdensity: 1.1 protons/cm3explanation | more dataUpdated: Today at 2217 UT

 

Planetary K-indexNow: Kp= 6 storm24-hr max: Kp= 6 stormexplanation | more data

 

 

 

 

GEOMAGNETIC STORM: High-latitude sky watchers, if it's dark where you live, go out and look for auroras. A geomagnetic storm is underway after a high-speed solar wind gust hit Earth's magnetic field on May 2nd.

aurora images: from Tom Eklund of Valkeakoski, Finland

NO-NAME ACTIVE REGION: An unstable nest of magnetic fields emerged over the sun's northeastern horizon yesterday, and it is crackling with C-class solar flares. Astrophotographer Pete Lawrence sends this picture from his backyard observatory in Selsey, UK:

 

Although the maelstrom does have a small dark core, technically making it a sunspot, it has not yet been sunspot-numbered by NOAA. Readers with solar telescopes are encouraged to keep an eye on the no-name active region--it's where the action is.

more images: from Rogerio Marcon of Campinas - SP - Brasil; from Steve Riegel of Santa Maria, CA; from Matt Wastell of Brisbane, Australia; from Wouter Verhesen of Sittard,The Netherlands; from Andy Devey of Barnsley South Yorkshire England; from Cai-Uso Wohler of Bispingen, Germany;