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 remained at low levels, with the largest event of the reporting period being a C2.4/sf at 26/0717 UTC from Region 4448 (S08E42, Cao/beta). As the sunspot complex in the southeast rotated further onto the visible disk and away from the limb foreshortening affects, it was determined that old Regions 4451 and 4446 were the same sunspot group and have been grouped under Region 4446 (S16E43, Cko/beta-gamma), to make a total of eight numbered regions on the visible disk. The only region to show appreciable flux emergence and magnetic shearing was Region 4447 (S16W02, Dai/beta). All other regions were either largely stable or in very gradual decay. Additional activity included a partial halo CME from beyond the Northwest limb that was observed in LASCO C2 beginning at 25/2212 UTC. Due to the location of origin (suspected activity from old Region 4436, L=330), no geoeffective impact is anticipated. No Earth-directed CMEs were observed in coronagraph imagery.
Solar Activity Forecast
Issued: 2026 May 26 1230 UTC
Solar activity is expected to be at low to moderate levels through 28 May, with a chance for isolated M-class flares (R1-R2/Minor-Moderate) due to the flare potential of the visible disk. 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