| CHANCE OF FLARES: NOAA forecasters have boosted the odds of an M-class flare today to 55%, and an X-flare to 10% as potent sunspot AR1785 turns toward Earth. The sunspot has a beta-gamma-delta magnetic field that harbors energy for strong explosions. NOT QUITE STORMING: Earth is passing through a region of interplanetary space with a south-pointing magnetic field, and this is causing geomagnetic unrest around the poles. The disturbances have not quite reached the level of a magnetic storm. Nevertheless, auroras are glowing at high latitudes. Andrew Krueger sends this picture from Rice Lake Township, just outside Duluth, Minnesota: |  |
"There were lots of fireflies near the ground and faint auroras in the sky on a warm summer night in northern Minnesota," says Krueger. "I took the picture early on July 6th, just after midnight."
An actual storm could be in the offing. NOAA forecasters estimate a 35% to 40% of geomagnetic storms around the poles on July 6-7. The fireflies won't get any brighter, but the auroras might! www.spaceweather.com
An actual storm could be in the offing. NOAA forecasters estimate a 35% to 40% of geomagnetic storms around the poles on July 6-7. The fireflies won't get any brighter, but the auroras might! www.spaceweather.com
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