For the past two weeks, the sun has been particularly active and will
remain so possibly for another two weeks, say NOAA researchers. “We’re
ringing the bells,” said Joseph Kunches of NOAA’s Space Environment
Center in Boulder. Colo.

Yet another a major flare and coronal mass ejection, or CME, erupted
from the sun Thursday. This latest activity should fuel the current
magnetic storm, which is weakening. Those looking at the night sky over
most of the upper U.S. could see the aurora borealis or northern lights
over the next few nights.

The activity could continue through the weekend, subside, and then
possibly restart as another active region, which provided many of the
solar flares a few weeks ago, turns toward Earth.

Thursday’s flare came from an area of the sun identified as 9415, the
same region that produced two fast-moving coronal mass ejections and
flares on April 10.

“The sun rotates about 15 degrees each day, so this area should be
going away in a few days,” Kunches said. “However, the one that was
really active two weeks ago is 180 degrees away from this one, so it
will be coming around again. We’re waiting the arrival of that one.”

The sun is experiencing “solar max,” a period of activity that happens
about every 11 years and lasts for about three or four years. Kunches
said he and his colleagues have noticed periods of strong activity
which have recently occurred about every three or four months. “This
one is prolonged because of the two back-to-back areas,” he said.

NOAA’s Space Environment Center is the nation’s official source of
space weather alerts and warnings and continually monitors and
forecasts Earth’s space environment.

Relevant Web Sites

* NOAA’s Space Environment Center — Click “Space Weather Now” for the
latest information on solar activity.

http://www.sec.noaa.gov/
* NOAA’s Space Weather Scales

http://www.sec.noaa.gov/NOAAscales/

* NOAA Space Weather Advisories

http://www.sec.noaa.gov/advisories/

* Today’s Space Weather Forecast — Includes the latest image of the sun
from Earth-based telescopes positioned around the world.

http://www.sec.noaa.gov/today.html

* Real-time images of the Sun from NASA’s SOHO Satellite

http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime-images.html

* SPACE WEATHER – WHAT IS IT AND WHY DO WE WANT TO KNOW ABOUT IT?
http://www.spaceweather.noaa.gov/stories/sw2c.htm

* NEW NOAA SPACE WEATHER SCALES MAKE SOLAR MAX EFFECTS MORE PREDICTABLE

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories/s317.htm