SFI = 98
A index = 12
K index = 1
SSN = 32
POSSIBLE CME IMPACTS THIS WEEK: Yesterday, a mish-mash of overlapping CMEs billowed away from the sun. Some were faint, one was bright and possibly farsided. If any of them are Earth-directed–and that’s a big IF–they would probably arrive on June 29th. Stay tuned. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
A BIG COMET IS APPROACHING EARTH: For the past 3 million years, Comet C/2017 K2 (PanSTARRS) has been falling toward the sun, a long, slow journey from the outer solar system. Finally, it’s here. Michael Jaeger photographed it on June 25th from Martinsberg, Austria:
“This is a 22-minute exposure with my 16-inch telescope,” says Jaeger. “The comet was about 9th magnitude.”
“Comet K2” caused a sensation when it was discovered in 2017. At first, it appeared to be one of the biggest comets in modern history, with a nucleus as much as 160 km wide. Hubble Space Telescope observations have since downsized the comet to 18 km. That is still big (typical comet nuclei measure 1 to 3 km), but not a record setter.
The comet will make its closest approach to Earth (1.8 AU away) on July 14th, brightening to 7th or 8th magnitude. This is too dim to see with the naked eye, but an easy target for backyard telescopes. Comet K2 may be found high in the midnight sky in the constellation Ophiuchus. Resources: sky maps, 3D orbit, light curve.
NOAA STI
:Product: Geophysical Alert Message wwv.txt
:Issued: 2022 Jun 28 0605 UTC
# Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Weather Prediction Center
#
# Geophysical Alert Message
#
Solar-terrestrial indices for 27 June follow.
Solar flux 98 and estimated planetary A-index 12.
The estimated planetary K-index at 0600 UTC on 28 June was 3.
No space weather storms were observed for the past 24 hours.
No space weather storms are predicted for the next 24 hours.
NOAA Alerts
Space Weather Message Code: ALTEF3
Serial Number: 3254
Issue Time: 2022 Jun 28 0704 UTC
CONTINUED ALERT: Electron 2MeV Integral Flux exceeded 1000pfu
Continuation of Serial Number: 3253
Begin Time: 2022 Jun 25 1410 UTC
Yesterday Maximum 2MeV Flux: 3636 pfu
NOAA Space Weather Scale descriptions can be found at
www.swpc.noaa.gov/noaa-scales-explanation
Potential Impacts: Satellite systems may experience significant charging resulting in increased risk to satellite systems.