В ближайшие три дня на Земле могут происходить перебои с радиосигналом

SOLAR FLARE: Emerging over the sun's southeastern limb, sunspot AR1389 unleashed an M2-class solar flare at 1350 UT on Dec. 29th. The blast shows that the newly-visible sunspot is capable of significant eruptions. AR1389 is not yet facing Earth, but it is turning in our direction.

CHANCE OF MAGNETIC STORMS: NOAA forecasters have downgraded the chances of a geomagnetic storm on Dec. 29th to 20%. A CME is still expected to arrrive later today, but the longer it takes to get here, the weaker its impact is likely to be. Storm alerts: text, voice.

"With a CME expected to collide with the Earth's magnetic field any minute now, we were treated to a wonderful display of aurora in Ivalo, Finland, last night," reports tour guide and nature photographer Andy Keen. "We drove north to escape the overcast and eventually found a hole in the cloud cover. To our delight moments after parking up the vehicle auroras appeared right above our heads." (continued below)

"As you may imagine the whole group was really excited as none of them had witnessed it before," adds Keen. "In fact, 5 of them had travelled from Australia, 1 from Israel and 1 from Hong Kong so it was lovely to see their dream being fulfilled."

MOTHER OF PEARL: As December draws to a close, the first polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) of northern winter are forming around the Arctic Circle. Anders Gjørwad Hagen of Vinstra, Norway, photographed this specimen on Dec. 27th:

Also known as "nacreous" or "mother of pearl" clouds, icy PSCs form in the lower stratosphere when temperatures drop to around minus 85ºC. Sunlight shining through tiny ice particles ~10µm across produce the characteristic bright iridescent colors by diffraction and interference.

The display Hagen witnessed formed in the wake of "Dagmar," a storm that "hit the coast of Norway with hurricane strength on Dec. 25th and 26th," says Hagen. "Record breaking winds up to 145 mph were recorded. While people on the coast dealt with the aftermath, photo enthusiasts inland saw the effects of high altitude winds in these colorful clouds. It was a beautiful display, but not comfortable to think of all the suffering lying behind it."

more images: from Bjarki Mikkelsen of Jokkmokk Lapland, Sweden; from P-M Hedén of Tänndalen, Sweden; from Krystian Rosa of Brandbu, Norway; from Patricia Cowern of Porjus,Sweden

Рентгеновское излучение Солнца с 29 декабря 2011 года по 30 декабря 2011 года по данным спутника GOES-15

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DECLINING CHANCE OF MAGNETIC STORMS: The CME expected on Dec. 29th either missed Earth or its impact was too weak to notice. Geomagnetic activity remains generally low with only a 20% chance of storms around the Arctic Circle during the next 24 hours.

ACTIVE SUNSPOT: New sunspot 1389 is crackling with M-class solar flares. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded this extreme UV flash from the active region at 2151 UT on Dec. 29th:

Although the sunspot is not directly facing Earth, its flares can affect our planet. X-rays and UV radiation from yesterday's flares created waves of ionization in the upper atmosphere, altering the propagation of radio waves. The phenomenon was particularly strong over Europe where radio amateurs using low frequency receivers detected sudden ionospheric disturbances ("SIDs") above Ireland and Italy. Student groups who wish to detect solar flares in this way can ask about obtaining a SID monitor from Stanford University.

NOAA forecasters estimate a 40% chance of more M-flares during the next 24 hours. There's also a 5% chance of X-flares. Solar flare alerts: text, voice.

Шансы геомагнитной бури на 28 декабря - повышаются

Солнце осложнит подготовку к праздникам

вот и :

C чего они взяли? И по статье (англ.) представленной Редактор VP -  на "Рождество" не на столько сильные вспышки были, что бы вызвать сбой связи..

CHANCE OF MAGNETIC STORMS: NOAA forecasters estimate a 20% to 40% chance of polar geomagnetic storms on Dec. 28-29 in response to the arrival of one or more CMEs. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras. Aurora alerts: text, voice.

ON MARS, TOO: Sunspot 1387 erupted on Christmas day, hurling a coronal mass ejection (CME) directly toward Mars. According to analysts at the Goddard Space Weather Lab, impact will occur on Dec. 30th at 1800 UT (+/- 7 hr). Click to view an animated forecast track:

Unlike Earth, Mars does not have a global magnetic field. Instead, the Red Planet has "magnetic umbrellas." These are fossil remnants of an ancient global magnetic field that decayed billions of years ago. When a CME hits Mars, the action happens in the umbrellas' canopies. Because the umbrellas are scattered around Mars, martian auroras can theoretically occur even near the equator.

Different world, different space weather.

MOTHER OF PEARL: As December draws to a close, the first polar stratospheric clouds of northern winter are forming around the Arctic Circle. P-M Hedén photographed the phenomenon last night over Tänndalen, Sweden:

"Wow, what a lovely sight!" says Hedén. "They appeared in the sunset sky next to Venus and the crescent Moon."

Also known as "nacreous" or "mother of pearl" clouds, these icy clouds form in the lower stratosphere when temperatures drop to around minus 85ºC. Sunlight shining through tiny ice particles ~10µm across produce the characteristic bright iridescent colors by diffraction and interference.

"Nacreous clouds far outshine and have much more vivid colours than ordinary iridescent clouds, which are very much poor relations and seen frequently all over the world," writes atmospheric optics expert Les Cowley. "Once seen they are never forgotten."

more images: from Krystian Rosa of Brandbu, Norway; from Patricia Cowern of Porjus,Sweden