SOLAR ACTIVITY

I am not going to do daily image updates anymore, as they are readily available
at the SOHO site and at the SDAC site
Instead this will be more if a solar information page showing the different types of images that are taken of
the sun and short explanations of what they represent.
I will start posting the daily indicies again as they are available
The indicies for the last several days from SESC ( always released with a 2 day delay) were.....

Day/Month/Year format:

DAY 083, 24/03/05 10.7 FLUX=087.1 90-AVG=098 SSN=057 BKI=0011 3211 BAI=004
DAY 084, 25/03/05 10.7 FLUX=082.1 90-AVG=098 SSN=065 BKI=1443 3323 BAI=015
DAY 085, 26/03/05 10.7 FLUX=077.7 90-AVG=098 SSN=041 BKI=2444 3321 BAI=016
DAY 086, 27/03/05 10.7 FLUX=078.4 90-AVG=098 SSN=035 BKI=2243 3322 BAI=012
DAY 087, 28/03/05 10.7 FLUX=079.7 90-AVG=096 SSN=015 BKI=2210 1012 BAI=003
DAY 088, 29/03/05 10.7 FLUX=078.8 90-AVG=097 SSN=015 BKI=1110 2212 BAI=004
DAY 089, 30/03/05 10.7 FLUX=077.6 90-AVG=097 SSN=011 BKI=2343 2110 BAI=009
DAY 090, 31/03/05 10.7 FLUX=076.7 90-AVG=097 SSN=022 BKI=1321 2223 BAI=008

DAY 091, 01/04/05 10.7 FLUX=078.3 90-AVG=096 SSN=026 BKI=1332 2112 BAI=007
DAY 092, 02/04/05 10.7 FLUX=080.2 90-AVG=095 SSN=030 BKI=1012 1212 BAI=004
DAY 093, 03/04/05 10.7 FLUX=081.1 90-AVG=096 SSN=038 BKI=1221 1322 BAI=006
DAY 094, 04/04/05 10.7 FLUX=084.8 90-AVG=096 SSN=054 BKI=1232 3444 BAI=016
DAY 095, 05/04/05 10.7 FLUX=088.3 90-AVG=096 SSN=056 BKI=6653 3334 BAI=036
DAY 096, 06/04/05 10.7 FLUX=088.0 90-AVG=096 SSN=050 BKI=3323 3322 BAI=012
DAY 097, 07/04/05 10.7 FLUX=087.8 90-AVG=096 SSN=049 BKI=2333 2211 BAI=009
DAY 098, 08/04/05 10.7 FLUX=087.7 90-AVG=096 SSN=056 BKI=2121 2221 BAI=005
DAY 099, 09/04/05 10.7 FLUX=088.4 90-AVG=096 SSN=043 BKI=1211 2322 BAI=006
DAY 100, 10/04/05 10.7 FLUX=088.3 90-AVG=096 SSN=042 BKI=1000 2111 BAI=002
DAY 101, 11/04/05 10.7 FLUX=087.5 90-AVG=096 SSN=017 BKI=2201 2433 BAI=008
DAY 102, 12/04/05 10.7 FLUX=084.9 90-AVG=096 SSN=032 BKI=5543 5244 BAI=030
DAY 103, 13/04/05 10.7 FLUX=083.5 90-AVG=095 SSN=045 BKI=2444 4544 BAI=027
DAY 104, 14/04/05 10.7 FLUX=085.4 90-AVG=095 SSN=063 BKI=4544 3332 BAI=022
DAY 105, 15/04/05 10.7 FLUX=084.9 90-AVG=094 SSN=061 BKI=3422 2323 BAI=012
DAY 106, 16/04/05 10.7 FLUX=104.6 90-AVG=093 SSN=052 BKI=3211 2322 BAI=008
DAY 107, 17/04/05 10.7 FLUX=101.7 90-AVG=093 SSN=054 BKI=2320 2321 BAI=007
DAY 108, 18/04/05 10.7 FLUX=096.5 90-AVG=092 SSN=044 BKI=2331 3432 BAI=013
DAY 109, 19/04/05 10.7 FLUX=093.0 90-AVG=092 SSN=043 BKI=2341 2223 BAI=011
DAY 110, 20/04/05 10.7 FLUX=089.0 90-AVG=091 SSN=039 BKI=2544 4223 BAI=020
DAY 111, 21/04/05 10.7 FLUX=089.8 90-AVG=091 SSN=022 BKI=3011 2212 BAI=005
DAY 112, 22/04/05 10.7 FLUX=087.3 90-AVG=091 SSN=034 BKI=2301 3232 BAI=008
DAY 113, 23/04/05 10.7 FLUX=087.7 90-AVG=090 SSN=035 BKI=1122 2432 BAI=009
DAY 114, 24/04/05 10.7 FLUX=087.1 90-AVG=089 SSN=000 BKI=3322 2322 BAI=010
DAY 115, 25/04/05 10.7 FLUX=082.1 90-AVG=090 SSN=025 BKI=2332 3332 BAI=012
DAY 116, 26/04/05 10.7 FLUX=077.7 90-AVG=090 SSN=020 BKI=1101 2121 BAI=003
DAY 117, 27/04/05 10.7 FLUX=078.4 90-AVG=090 SSN=045 BKI=1101 1210 BAI=002
DAY 118, 28/04/05 10.7 FLUX=079.7 90-AVG=090 SSN=071 BKI=0011 2222 BAI=004
DAY 119, 29/04/05 10.7 FLUX=078.8 90-AVG=091 SSN=046 BKI=1132 3344 BAI=014
DAY 120, 30/04/05 10.7 FLUX=077.6 90-AVG=091 SSN=053 BKI=4433 4333 BAI=019

DAY 121, 01/05/05 10.7 FLUX=078.3 90-AVG=091 SSN=061 BKI=5543 3332 BAI=023
DAY 122, 02/05/05 10.7 FLUX=080.2 90-AVG=091 SSN=055 BKI=3221 3322 BAI=009
Day 123, no report
DAY 124, 04/05/05 10.7 FLUX=084.8 90-AVG=092 SSN=061 BKI=3310 2121 BAI=006
DAY 125, 05/05/05 10.7 FLUX=088.3 90-AVG=092 SSN=050 BKI=1113 2221 BAI=006

Terms Used:
10.7 FLUX = 10.7 cm (=2.803 GHz radio frequency) Solar Flux reading, ie. the sun's energy emission at this frequency
SSN = Sun Spot Number
BKI = Boulder (Colorado, USA) K Index, reading taken every 3 hours
BAI = Boulder (Colorado, USA) A Index, reading taken once a day.
This one determines how unsettled the geomagnetic field has been for the last 24 hour period
eg. 0 - 5 = quiet; 6 - 10 = unsettled; 10 - 20 = active; 20 - 30 = minor storm; 30 - 40 = major storm; 40+ severe storm.
is a good guide to go by.

Ap = A Index .. planetary .... an avg of all the A Indicies from the various stations around the world
Kp = K Index .. planetary .... an avg of all the A Indicies from the various stations around the world

------------------------------------------ IPS GEOMAGNETIC DISTURBANCE WARNING 05/16
ISSUED AT 08/0110Z MAY 2005
BY THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORECAST CENTRE.
INCREASED GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY EXPECTED
DUE TO FLARE/MASS EJECTION FROM 08-10 MAY 2005
GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY FORECAST
08 May: Unsettled to Minor Storm
09 May: Unsettled to Minor Storm
10 May: Unsettled to Minor Storm

The sun is viewed in many different wavelenghts of light, eg. Fe (Iron) 171 Å, 195 Å, and 284 Å also in He (Helium)
304 Å and Ca (Calcium) 8542 Å. to name the common ones.
Å = Angstrom is used in the measurment of the wavelength of light, 1 Å = 0.1 nm (nanometre), named after the Swedish physicist Anders Jonas Ångström, one of the founders of spectroscopy
As a reference point, the common visible red laser is usually around 633 nanometres
The LASCO C2 and C3 coronographs are instruments on board of the SOHO spacecraft. The C2 unit images the
corona from about 1.5 to 6 solar radii and the C3 unit images from ~ 3.5 out to 30 solar radii.

The different wavelengths and imaging techniques let us view the suns' different atmospheric layers from the
visible surface, the photosphere, out to the outer reaches of the coronosphere. In the sets of images below
we explore some of these types of images and look at the different features they show us.

Click on the thumbnail for a full size image

These first 3 images are Helium II 304 Å ... showing huge prominces

These next 3 images are .... Fe IX, X 171 Å (blue), Fe XII 195 Å (green) and Fe XV 284 Å (yellow)

The Fe blue image shows a large coronal loop reaching 1 million Kelvin in temperature
The Fe green image shows a X28 flare on the west limb (one of the largest ever recorded)
The Fe yellow image shows a large coronal hole ( the very dark area)
All 3 images have dates and times on them

These next 4 images are ....

The red C2 and blue C3 images show a large CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) the size of the sun
is shown by the white circle within the occulting disk. These 2 images show what is happening in the
outer corona and well beyond

The H 6767 Å continuum orange image shows the largest recorded sunspot group. Sunspots, although they are
around 5000K temperature, show contrasted dark against the surrounding 6000K photosphere

The grey Magnetogram show the magnetic polarities of the sunsopt groups. This image of 23 Mar 04 shows
very defined magnetic polarities including the reversed polarity between the northern and southern hemisphere
groups. (note how the white leads the black in the north and the black leads the white in the south. This will
reverse at the start of the next solar cycle ~ 2006.

Credits
The Photospheric Magnetograms from the U.S.National Solar Observatory at Kitt Peak (Arizona).
The Fe 171, 195, 284 and 304 Angstrom, Lasco C2 and C3 images are from the SOHO Satellite via the
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and the Max-Planck-Institute for Aeronomy, Lindau, Germany
The SOHO spacecraft orbits the sun approx half way between the orbits of the Earth and of Venus. This gives
it the opportunity (1) ... to observe the sun 24hrs / day and (2) ... it also gives an early warning of streams of
charged particles emitted from the sun during CME events. SOHO is jointly operated by NASA and ESA
under which a large consortium of scientific institutions come together.
The Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) 6767 Å continuum images from SOHO via Stanford University

These organisations do a great job supplying us all with this information for free. I know my knowledge and understanding of solar astronomy has increased in leaps and bounds over the last 10 years that I have had access to this information.
My thanks to all concerned
Dave N.

THE AURORAE
Go here for my aurora pics
Go here for Dave Curtis aurora pics

My telescope is a home built 8" f5.6 Newtonian reflector,
The scope gets most of the use, sunspot drawing and general observations,

I enjoy dabbling in deepspace, cometary and auroral astrophotography and am keen to hear from others with similar interests. If you have CCD images or digitised film images and would like to see them on these pages let me know and we could start a page dedicated to that theme.

COMETS

THE PLANETS
..............

Page Last Updated 8 May 2005

Dave Nelson
davenn@optusnet.com.au