LDE Flare In Progress

  
   Latest Update - 08:17 UTC
   Jan 26, 2012 :

We have yet another LDE (long duration event) Flare in progress. This flare began around 04:09 UTC and reached a max of C6.4 at 05:49 UTC. This is the third LDE of 2012.

Keep checking back for current updates!

   There was a CME associated with

this LDE flare. Due to the location of 1402 on the far Northwest area of the solar disk, this CME is most likley not Earth directed

 

 

Region 1402 says "bye" but not without flaring

   We have C5.8 and a C7.9 solar flare from sunspot region 1402, one right after another.

*The first flare was a C5.8 that peaked at 00:36 UTC Jan 26th.

The background Xray level slowly dropped to C1.7, then went on the rise again at 01:40 UTC.

*The second flare was a C7.9 that peaked at 01:49 UTC Jan 26.

   Sunspot regions 1401 and 1402 are now on the Northwest limb and will soon rotate off the western limb out of a Earth facing view. But not without a last "Good bye"! We will have to wait around 20 days for these two very active regions to rotate back in Earths direction

 We also noticed some ejection on SDO

ACE Data Offline (Updated!)

   We wanted to do a quick post as to the situation with the ACE Satellite data.
Often, while watching a solar event, we hear people complain that the ACE data has stopped working. This is due to ACE being put into safe mode, in order to protect the sensors aboard the satellite. If the sensors are online and working when a significant solar event occurs, the sensors could be badly damaged.

Update Jan 25 @ 16:45 :
ACE is now back up and running. We started receiving data from ACE once more at around 10:00 UTC today. At 1st glance, it would appear that as reported below, the CRIS Image Intensifier did power off at 023-07:46:38, and has now powered back on.


Update Jan 25 @ 06:51 :
Our friend Joinca just brought the following to our attention. Thank you Joinca!

==================================================
ACE Weekly 01/17/2012 - 01/23/2012

All ACE spacecraft subsystems are performing as expected.

==================================================
Orbit/Attitude:

No maneuvers were completed this week.  The next attitude maneuver is
scheduled for Monday 01/30/2012.

===================================================
OCRs:

MOCR 387 has been approved to allow the spacecraft to violate the 4
degree sun constraint and drift to a sun angle of 2 degrees during the
February 2012 Solar Exclusion Zone (SEZ) transit.  The maneuver on
Monday 01/30/2012 will orient the spacecraft prior to the transit with a
sun angle of 10 degrees.  As the spacecraft moves relative to the sun,
the sun angle will decrease to 2 degrees on Wednesday 02/08/2012 and
then increase to 12 degrees when the next maneuver will occur on Tuesday
02/21/2012.

Powerfull Jan 23rd CME Arriving Now!

    Update @ 02:33 UTC Jan 25, 2012:

"Full power to the shields, Mr. Scott!"

On Jan 23, 2012 @ 03:59 UTC there was a CME produced in association with an M8.7sloar flare from Sunspot Region 1402. Here we see this CME approaching Earth's Magnetosphere on the most recent STEREO HI2
image taken at Jan 24 01:47 UTC.  Analysts at the Goddard Space Weather Lab estimated an ejection velocity of 2200 km/s getting this CME across 147,098,070 km in near record time,

Event Summary:
-Sudden Geomagnetic Impulse detected @ 15:04.
-Conditions are subsiding.
-A Kp4 Geomagnetic Storm Watch is in effect.
-S2 Solar Radiation Storm is ongoing.
-Strongest Proton Storm since 2003.
-Protons levels are now decreasing.
-WE have no Solar Wind or Density data from ACE due.
to sensor contamination from the ongoing proton event.
Read full report for all details.

Solen reported on Jan 23, 2012: ACE solar wind speed, density and temperature became invalid after approx. 06:30 UTC due to sensor contamination.
http://www.solen.info/solar/

We have made a new report about the ACE satellite data issue.
You can read that report here.
http://mysolaralerts.blogspot.com/2012/01/ace-data-offline.html

NOAA Space Weather Alerts:
WARNING: Geomagnetic K-Index of 6 expected.
Valid From: 2012 Jan 24 1930 UTC.
Valid To: 2012 Jan 25 0100 UTC.
Warning Condition: Onset.
NOAA Scale: G2 - Moderate.

Geomagnetic Sudden Impulse.
Observed: 2012 Jan 24 1504 UTC.
Deviation: 22 nT.
Station: Boulder.

EXTENDED WARNING: Proton 10MeV Integral Flux above 10pfu expected.
Valid From: 2012 Jan 23 0500 UTC.
Now Valid Until: 2012 Jan 25 0100 UTC.
Warning Condition: Persistence.
Predicted NOAA Scale: S3 - Strong.

SOHO CELIAS/MTOF Proton Monitor:
@ 22:02 UTC Jan 24 2012...
-Solar Wind Speed:  584.50 km/s.
-Density: 5.29.

Shows a spike in wind speed...
@ 14:49 UTC Jan 24, 2012
-Solar Wind Speed: 760.10 km/s
-Density: 6.09