http://www.cyberspaceorbit.com/

Scroll almost halfway down. On the left you will see title "Stargate III" over a blue thumb-nail SOHO image. Click there on "MPEG" and it will download the ejection. Mine played on my Windows media player, and let me click to freeze-frame too.

-- Hokie (Hokie_@hotmail.com), February 19, 2000

Answers

Anyone know how long we earthlings will be at risk of radiation from this proton shower?

-- Hokie (Hokie_@hotmail.com), February 19, 2000.

10 billion tons of gas will rain over the next 2 days per UK radio report. Dazzling aroral displays. Sattelite and power grid outages...Major geomagnetic storm on earth, causing POWER GRID SURGES...

-- Hokie (Hokie_@hotmail.com), February 19, 2000.

http://www.dxlc.com/solar/

Solar Terrestrial Activity Report

Last update February 19, 2000 at 04:45 UTC.

[Solar and geomagnetic data - last 4 weeks (updated daily)] [Solar wind and electron fluence charts (updated daily)] [Solar cycles 21-23 (last update February 3, 2000)] [Solar cycles 1-20] [Graphical comparison of cycles 21, 22 and 23 (last update February 3, 2000)] [Graphical comparison of cycles 10, 13, 17, 20 and 23 (last update February 3, 2000)] [Historical solar and geomagnetic data charts 1954-1999] [Experimental solar data chart January 1998-September 1999]

Recent development

The geomagnetic field was quiet on February 18. Solar wind speed ranged between 342 and 434 km/sec.

Solar flare activity was low. Solar flux was 141.1, the planetary A index was 2 (3-hour Kp indices: 0010 1111, Boulder K indices: 0210 1101). Region 8862 was quiet and stable and will rotate off the visible disk today. Region 8867 was mostly unchanged and could produce C flares while rotating over the west limb today. Region 8868 decayed into spotless plage. Region 8869 developed further and could produce minor M flares. Region 8870 was quiet and stable, as was region 8872. Region 8875 decayed slowly and was quiet. Region 8876 was quiet and stable. Region 8877 reemerged with a single spot. Region 8878 decayed and was quiet, the region will rotate off the visible disk on Feb.20. Region 8879 was quiet and stable.

Flares and CMEs

5 C flares were observed on February 18. Regions 8867 and 8869 each produced one C flare with the C1.1 flare at 09:27 UTC from region 8867 being the most interesting as it was accompanied by a moderately strong type II sweep. A filament near region 8877 (and near the central meridian) erupted with activity starting in LASCO-EIT images at 04:36 UTC. This may have caused a geoeffective CME, however, it was difficult to discern any material movement directly related to this event as there was quite a bit of CME activity near and behind the west limb.

February 17: Region 8869 produced an M2.5/1B flare at 18:52 UTC. This flare was accompanied by a moderately strong type II sweep and a fairly unimpressive coronal mass ejection off the southwest limb. Another minor M flare in region 8872 may have been triggered by the event in region 8869. It is fairly rare that regions as small as 8872 produce as impressive long duration events as the one that peaked at 20:35 UTC as an M1.3/2N flare. This event was associated by a strong type II sweep and a full (and beautiful) halo CME which was easily visible in LASCO C2 images at 21:30 UTC. There is a 100% chance that Earth will receive an impact from this CME, the question is when and how significant the event will be. The likely impact time window is from noon on February 19 until late on February 20. If the brightness of the observed halo is an indication of the severeness of the effects on the geomagnetic field, then this will likely be the most significant CME impact in some time. Minor to very severe storming is possible (K index in the range 5-8, isolated K9 intervals are not unlikely).

The above 10 MeV proton flux peaked just above the 10 pfu level.

The background x-ray flux is at the class B4 level

Coronal holes

A large trans equatorial coronal hole will rotate into a geoeffective position on February 21 or 22 and start a disturbance on February 24 or 25.

Forecast

The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to unsettled on Feb.19. Sometime during the latter half of Feb.19 or on Feb.20 a CME will impact earth and probably cause minor to severe storming. Low frequency (below 2 MHz) radio wave propagation along east-west paths over high and upper middle latitudes is generally fair.

-- zapped (zapped@zappeddd.xcom), February 19, 2000.

I got the site alright. You had better think very clear before going there.

-- ET (bneville@zebra.net), February 19, 2000.

Pretty cool, looks like the sun blew a smoke ring.

The movie goes way too fast though, they need to slow it down.

-- Hawk (flyin@high.again), February 19, 2000.

GIF Image of ejection

-- spider (spider0@usa.net), February 19, 2000.

-- poof (got@gas.?), February 19, 2000.

In beginning chemistry terms, Unlike what the media says, it won't be gas, it will be plasma. It should be hydrogen and helium positive nuclei which became so hot on the sun, they lost all their electrons. So...possibly tons of these positive nuclei are now going to be hitting the earth and any free electrons, like those in power lines, will be extremely attracted to them. The other interesting thing about this is what it does to the atmosphere. It's made of about 79% Nitrogen and 21% Oxygen. The atomosphere could get a major influx of hydrogen and helium which it is not used to. I sincerely hope this is a singularly uninteresting weekend.

-- nothing (better@to.do), February 19, 2000.