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 was at low levels with only C-class flaring observed. Regions 4341 (S11W49, Cao/beta), 4345 (S17W42, Eso/beta), and 4353 (N17W03, Dao/beta) all produced C-flare activity. The largest flare was a long-duration C5.9 flare at 23/2329 UTC from an unnumbered source on or near the SE limb. Slight growth was observed in Regions 4351 and 4353, with all remaining regions remaining either stable or showing slight decay. Two CMEs were noted in LASCO C2 coronagraph imagery: the first beginning at 23/1512 UTC with a nearly completely southern trajectory, and the second beginning at 23/1536 UTC, with a southeasterly direction. Neither of these are believed to have an Earth-directed component. No Earth-directed CMEs were observed.
Solar Activity Forecast
Issued: 2026 Jan 24 0030 UTC
Solar activity is expected to remain at low levels, with moderate (R1/R2, Minor/Moderate) levels likely and a slight chance for X-class flares (R3-Strong) on 24-26 Jan. The increased activity is primarily due to the magnetic potential of Regions 4345, 4351, and 4353. 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