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An S1-class solar radiation storm is in progress on Jan. 5th. This means energetic protons from the sun are raining down on Earth. Their ionizing effect on the atmosphere is causing a polar cap absorption event (PCA). Shortwave radios inside the Arctic and Antarctic Circles won't work as well as usual until the PCA subsides.
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Sunspot AR3947 is sizzling with activity. Since Friday it has produced three X-class solar flares and multiple strong M-flares. NOAA's GOES-16 satellite recorded the extreme ultraviolet and X-ray flashes:  Each flare has produced a shortwave radio blackout on Earth. Almost all longitudes of our planet have experienced intermittent loss of signal below 20 MHz during local daylight hours. Because of these flares, long-distance propagation has been unreliable.
Remarkably, no significant CMEs have emerged. These explosions have not lifted much material out of the sun's atmosphere. Future blasts may behave differently, however, and the activity shows no sign of abating as the sunspot turns toward Earth. Stay tuned! https://spaceweather.com/  As we peel away the layers of societal conditioning, a profound clarity emerges that can make the familiar seem strange and new. Our journey toward authentic self-discovery often reveals how much our "normal" world is built on illusions and shared assumptions. In embracing our truest nature, we begin to see through the matrix of social constructs, marketing narratives and cultural programming that once felt so solid and real. Though sometimes unsettling, this awakening is the doorway to genuine freedom and conscious living.
The first of two CMEs heading toward Earth has just arrived. It passed NOAA's DSCOVR at 1600 UTC and reached our planet about 40 minutes later. The impact could spark minor (G1) to strong (G3) geomagnetic storms in the hours ahead. If a strong storm materializes, Northern Lights could descend to mid-latitudes in the USA and Europe, competing with fireworks displays to start the New Year.
https://spaceweather.com/ The sun is crackling with solar flares. In the last 48 hours alone it has produced an X-flare, a double X-flare (pictured below), and more than a dozen M-class solar flares:  Repeated pulses of extreme ultraviolet radiation have ionized the top of Earth's atmosphere, creating a series of shortwave radio blackouts rolling around all longitudes of our planet. Global ham radio transmissions below 20 MHz have not been very reliable for the last two days.
More flares are in the offing. There are currently five sunspots on the solar disk with mixed-polarity magnetic fields capable of producing M-to-X-class solar flares. NOAA forecasters estimate a 30% chance of additional X-flares on Dec. 31st. https://spaceweather.com/ Two CMEs are expected to strike Earth during the next 48 hours--a minor glancing blow on Dec. 24th followed by a more direct hit on Dec. 25th. The one-two punch could cause a G1 to G2-class geomagnetic storm with high-latitude auroras for Christmas.
https://spaceweather.com/ Big sunspot 3932 erupted on Dec. 23rd, producing an M8.9-class solar flare, only percentage points from category X. NOAA's GOES-16 satellite recorded the extreme ultraviolet flash:  The flare produced a brief shortwave radio blackout over Africa and the South Atlantic Ocean. Ham radio operators in the area may have noticed loss of signal below 20 MHz between 1112 UTC and 1127 UTC.
Of greater interest is the coronal mass ejection (CME). SOHO coronagraphs recorded a fast CME emerging from the blast site. The bulk of the CME will miss Earth to the south, however, there is still a significant Earth-directed component. NOAA and NASA forecast models predict it will arrive on Dec. 25th, potentially sparking a G1 to G2-class geomagnetic storm. https://spaceweather.com/  Giant banner unfurled outside the UK parliament
Earth is entering a stream of debris from rock comet 3200 Phaethon, source of the annual Geminid meteor shower. Forecasters expect the shower to peak on Friday night, Dec. 13th, with a dozen or so meteors per hour visible in bright moonlight. The best time to look is 2 a.m. local time (Saturday morning) when the constellation Gemini is high in the sky. [more]
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BLUE AVALANCHE UPDATE: Readers have offered many thoughtful and erudite comments about the "blue avalanche" story. Thank you! Among many excellent comments, we would like to single out this one from George Kourounis, Explorer In Residence at the Royal Canadian Geographical Society: "I am familiar with the avalanche lights phenomenon. I first heard about it from polar guide Rustin Mesdag who saw it with the naked eye while camping in Antarctica. I document all kinds of natural phenomena, and this was news to me. He forwarded me a scientific paper on the effect." Note the section beginning on page 13, "Electromagnetic Phenomena in Ice Fracture." This may explain the Chinese images shown below.
BLUE AVALANCHE LIGHTS IN CHINA: This might be something new. On the night of Oct. 27th, Chinese astrophotographer Shengyu Li set up his camera to record star trails over Mount Xiannairi in Sichuan, China. The long exposure had just begun when an icy serac broke free from a hanging glacier. Note the blue flashes within the ensuing avalanche:
"We have not found any previously documented cases of such an event, making this discovery both thrilling and intriguing for us," says Li. "Our initial hypothesis is that the luminescence may result from friction-induced lighting during the fragmentation of ice."
The phenomenon is called "triboluminescence." Legendary physicist Richard Feynman explains it best: "When you take a lump of sugar and crush it with a pair of pliers in the dark, you can see a bluish flash. Some other crystals do that too. Nobody knows why." You can create triboluminescent flashes yourself by smashing Lifesavers. The avalanche Li witnessed was rich in ice. "It started with a blocky serac, which randomly calved from a glacier near the mountain's peak," says Carson Reid, a mountaineer who analyzed Li's movie. "The serac would have fragmented as it tumbled down and smashed into natural obstacles." The most significant "smash points" seem to have produced the most blue light. Li shared his movie with other astrophographers in China. One of them found a similar blue flash in footage of a completely different mountain in Xinjiang, China three weeks earlier:
"This is a timelapse video taken by Ms. Lu Miao on Oct. 3rd," says Li. "It also shows a blue flash during an avalanche." The mountain is Muztagh Ata, which means "Iceberg Father" in English.
"None of us photographers noticed the blue light with our naked eyes—it was only discovered later when reviewing the photos," says Li. "However, I asked some friends who frequently photograph snow-capped mountains, and one of them mentioned having seen blue light with the naked eye during an avalanche, though they didn’t capture it on camera." https://spaceweather.com/  |
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