Solar. Space & Geomagnetic Weather, part II

by Stephanie Osborn
http://www.stephanie-osborn.com

And part II of the Solar, Space & Geomagnetic Weather series has gone up on Sarah Hoyt's According to Hoyt blog, right here:
https://accordingtohoyt.com/2016/08/26/15490/

Feel free to leave comments here or there.

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:

The Weather Out There Is Frightful: Solar/Space Weather and What It Means to the Earth and You


Our Sun is an active star. It may even be a variable star. Sunspots, flares, coronal mass ejections, all are signs of its activity. What kind of effect does it have on Earth? Other than the occasional sunburn, could it be dangerous? Has it been dangerous in the past? What can we expect in the near future?

Click here to purchase.




Silver Falchion Award Winner:
Sherlock Holmes and the Mummy's Curse

Holmes and Watson. Two names forever linked by mystery and danger from the beginning. Within the first year of their friendship and while both are young men, Holmes and Watson are still finding their way in the world, with all the troubles that such young men usually have: Financial straits, troubles of the female persuasion, hazings, misunderstandings between friends, and more. Watson’s Afghan wounds are still tender, his health not yet fully recovered, and there can be no consideration of his beginning a new practice as yet. Holmes, in his turn, is still struggling to found the new profession of consulting detective. Not yet truly established in London, let alone with the reputations they will one day possess, they are between cases and at loose ends when Holmes' old professor of archaeology contacts him. Professor Willingham Whitesell makes an appeal to Holmes’ unusual skill set and a request. Holmes is to bring Watson to serve as the dig team’s physician and come to Egypt at once to translate hieroglyphics for his prestigious archaeological dig. There in the wilds of the Egyptian desert, plagued by heat, dust, drought and cobras, the team hopes to find the very first Pharaoh. Instead, they find something very different... 

Noted Author Stephanie Osborn (Creator of the Displaced Detective series) presents the first book in her Sherlock Holmes, Gentleman Aegis series – Sherlock Holmes and the Mummy’s Curse, the debut volume of Pro Se Productions’ Holmes Apocrypha imprint.

Click here to purchase.

~Stephanie Osborn
http://www.stephanie-osborn.com

SURPRISE!!!

by Stephanie Osborn
http://www.stephanie-osborn.com

I am thrilled to announce that the first book of the Gentleman Aegis series, Sherlock Holmes and the Mummy's Curse, has WON the 2016 Silver Falchion Award for Best "Nonfiction" (read: historical fiction) YA Book!

The award is sponsored by the Killer Nashville mystery convention!

I'm SO EXCITED!!!

~Stephanie Osborn
http://www.stephanie-osborn.com

AURORA ALERT 23/24 August 2016

by Stephanie Osborn
http://www.stephanie-osborn.com

According to the various solar/geomagnetic data (collected in one convenient place by SolarHam.com; I actively support them with contributions), we are currently experiencing minor geomagnetic storming. This is likely being caused by a combination of a favorably-oriented local interplanetary magnetic field, as well as an enhanced wind stream from a coronal hole.

This is a Solar Dynamics Observatory image 
from 23 August 2016. It depicts the coronal holes 
on that date (yesterday). Holes were numbered by 
SolarHam. Coronal Hole #07 likely produced the
solar wind stream creating the current geomag storming.

The planetary K-index is a NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) product created using magnetometers around the world. According to the SWPC, "The K-index quantifies disturbances in the horizontal component of earth's magnetic field with an integer in the range 0-9 with 1 being calm and 5 or more indicating a geomagnetic storm. It is derived from the maximum fluctuations of horizontal components observed on a magnetometer during a three-hour interval. The planetary 3-hour-range index Kp is the mean standardized K-index from 13 geomagnetic observatories between 44 degrees and 60 degrees northern or southern geomagnetic latitude. The label 'K' comes from the German word 'Kennziffer' meaning 'characteristic digit.' The K-index was introduced by Julius Bartels in 1938. SWPC has used the K-index since the forecast center began operations." 

Any time the K-index reaches 5, geomagnetic storming is occurring. We have been experiencing K=5 for at least 9 hours at the time of this writing.

K-index graph captured as of approximately 10:25pm CDT, 23 Aug 2016.

The higher the K-index, the farther away from the geomagnetic poles the aurora can be seen, and the more effects can be seen. Generally coronal hole wind streams produce only minor storming; it takes a moderate to strong coronal mass ejection (CME) impact to reach the upper levels of the K-index.

The NOAA SWPC Geomagnetic Storm Scale.

We are currently experiecing a G1 Minor geomagnetic storm.

It takes something around an X-class flare producing a large, strong CME to hit an 8-9 on the K-index scale, and that's up around Carrington-event class. So we aren't going to have anything like that, but higher latitudes might have a nice aurora tonight or the next few nights.

Here are maps (posted to SolarHam, but obtained from NOAA SWPC) that will show you where aurorae are possible. Find the line marked Kp=5 for our current condition, then look from that line poleward. If you are in that region, keep a watch out for aurorae. If you are near but outside the region, keep an eye peeled poleward, just in case.

K-index map of North America.

K-index map of South America/Antarctica.

K-index map of Eurasia.

K-index map of Australia/extreme South Pacific.

Good viewing!

~Stephanie Osborn
http://www.stephanie-osborn.com

Some Solar Updates

by Stephanie Osborn
http://www.stephanie-osborn.com

Just a few tidbits today, guys.

FYI we had another spotless couple days. Scarcely two, but there was nothing yesterday and today there is a spot rotating around from the far side. According to the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center there is one already on the near side continuing to decay — yet it doesn't show up — and the one rotating to the near side is one that rotated completely around. Judging by the STEREO imagery, however, there isn't another spot on the entire solar surface.

That said, there are some interesting magnetic field patterns in the inner corona in the Solar Dynamics Observatory's 211b channel, and that might indicate where the mysterious unseen spot group is supposed to be. Have a look at this image and look just over coronal hole 07, and you'll see it:

Said SDO channel image also shows the coronal holes, but they're moderate currently. We had a passage through an enhanced solar wind stream from one over the weekend, but it wasn't impressive and only mildly unsettled the geomagnetic field.

This magnetogram (also from SDO) shows that, plus the group rotating around, plus ANOTHER that also isn't showing up.

So yes, there's some activity, but it isn't a lot.


BOOK RECOMMENDATION:
The Weather Out There Is Frightful: Solar/Space Weather and What It Means for the Earth and You

Our Sun is an active star. It may even be a variable star. Sunspots, flares, coronal mass ejections, all are signs of its activity. What kind of effect does it have on Earth? Other than the occasional sunburn, could it be dangerous? Has it been dangerous in the past? What can we expect in the near future?






OFF-TOPIC ADDENDUM:
With any luck, while it isn't about solar/space weather, I should have some exciting news for my fans sometime this week!

~Stephanie Osborn
http://www.stephanie-osborn.com

Link to Guest Blog Series

by Stephanie Osborn
http://www.stephanie-osborn.com

Just a quick note: Upon request (both from readers and Sarah), I have begun a series on solar, space, and geomagnetic weather on According to Hoyt. The first installment posted today. Future installments should post every Thursday for the next couple of months. I'll try to ensure that a new post goes up here to link my blog readers to it, also.

Here's the link:
https://accordingtohoyt.com/2016/08/18/solar-space-and-geomagnetic-weather-part-i-an-introduction-by-stephanie-osborn/