NASA Space Alerts

It’s #SunDay! Here’s your space weather report for the week of April 24 - 30: • 2 X-class flares • 14 M-class flares • 18 coronal mass ejections • 0 geomagnetic storms This video from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows the week’s solar activity. Two X-class flares erupt on the right side of the disk at the beginning of the week. On April 29, a few spacecraft calibration maneuvers make it look like the Sun is dancing. Find out more about flares & coronal mass ejections: go.nasa.gov/3Naeuv9

#MeteorSighting: Eyewitnesses in Oregon and Washington and the Canadian province of British Columbia reported a bright fireball on Wednesday, April 29, at 12:12 a.m. PDT. The meteor was first visible over Oktwanch Peak on Vancouver Island. It moved southwest at 66,000 mph before fragmenting above the Pacific Ocean, about 20 miles west of the town of Yuquot. More on this fireball: go.nasa.gov/4cPQj33 Eyewitness accounts supplied by the American Meteor Society

It’s #SunDay! Here’s your space weather report for the week of April 17 - 23: •6 M-class flares •0 C-class flares •34 coronal mass ejections •1 geomagnetic storm This video from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows the week’s activity. Two X-class flares erupted right after the end of this reporting period — they’ll be first up in next week’s space weather report! Another thing we *don’t* see here: comet PANSTARRS (C/2025 R3)! The comet is currently passing between the Sun and Earth, and ESA/NASA’s SOHO spacecraft is watching the comet as it streaks across the view of its C3 coronagraph. We'll share more views of that comet later; in the meantime, check the latest imagery here: go.nasa.gov/4ue9ppn Learn more about space weather: go.nasa.gov/4bLKwte

The Sun emitted two strong solar flares, the first peaking at 9:07pm ET on April 23 and the second peaking at 4:13am ET on April 24. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured images of the events, which were classified as X2.4 and X2.5: go.nasa.gov/4sPr45D Solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation. Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth’s atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground. However — when intense enough — they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS & communications signals travel. To see how such space weather may affect Earth, check out @NWSSWPC, the U.S. government’s official source for space weather forecasts, watches, warnings, and alerts.

It’s #SunDay! Here’s your space weather report for the week of April 10 - 16: • 30 coronal mass ejections (CMEs) • 0 M-class flares • 0 C-class flares associated with CMEs • 0 geomagnetic storms This video from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows the week’s activity, which was very quiet. Some C-class flares did occur on the Sun during this period, but none were associated with coronal mass ejections (CMEs) or other space weather events, so they are not reported here. Active region AR4419 first rotates onto the solar disk from the eastern limb (upper left edge) at about 1:20 into the video, then comes alive with lots of crackles and bursts starting at about 2:00 and continuing through the end. Its activity contrasts with the two other active regions on the Sun, AR4415, which moves across the Sun’s equatorial region, and AR4416, in the upper hemisphere, both of which showcase steadier, smoother brightenings of coronal loops. We’ll be watching all of these regions of possible activity in the coming week.

It’s #SunDay! Here’s your space weather report for the week of April 3 - 9: •7 M-class flares •1 M-class flares •16 coronal mass ejections •1 geomagnetic storm This video from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows the week’s activity. This week’s geomagnetic storm peaked on April 3, sparking auroras around the arctic circle and reaching a strength classification of G3 (strong). The cause was a CME that erupted from the Sun late on April 1. Aside from that, the Sun was fairly quiet during this reporting period. Learn more about space weather: go.nasa.gov/4bLKwte

#MeteorSighting: Eyewitnesses in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania reported a daytime fireball on Tuesday, April 7, at 2:34 p.m. EDT. First visibility of the meteor was at 48 miles above the Atlantic Ocean, off the shore of Mastic Beach on Long Island. Moving to the southwest at 30,000 mph, the fireball traveled 117 miles through the upper atmosphere before disintegrating 27 miles above the town of Galloway, north of Atlantic City. Meteor questions? Check here: go.nasa.gov/4bVyTQu More on this fireball: go.nasa.gov/4mmgTny Eyewitness accounts supplied by the American Meteor Society

This week’s storm was caused by a high speed stream of solar wind issuing from a coronal hole. That coronal hole appears as a darker spot in the middle of the Sun at about 1:56 in this video. It doesn’t look like much, but as we’ve seen in the last few weeks, coronal holes are potent sources of high speed solar wind that can compress Earth’s magnetic field. Those kinds of magnetic perturbations are what lead to geomagnetic storms, and ultimately, the glowing displays of auroras!

It’s #SunDay! Here’s your space weather report for the week of March 27 - April 2: •1 X-class flare •2 M-class flares •46 coronal mass ejections •1 geomagnetic storm This video from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows the week’s activity. This week’s X-class flare, visible starting about 1:23 in this video, is a very pretty arcade of blooming loops of solar plasma. The same active region that produced the flare also unleashed a coronal mass ejection that reached Earth on April 1… but that’s not what produced this week’s geomagnetic storm on April 2! 👇

#MeteorSighting: A fireball was observed by witnesses in the northwestern U.S. and Canada on the night of March 28. The fireball first became visible above the Washington town of Wilkeson. It moved northwest at 39,000 mph before disintegrating above Wauna, on the north shore of Carr Inlet. Questions? Check here: go.nasa.gov/4dSqIXS More on this fireball: go.nasa.gov/4bYwc0O Eyewitness accounts supplied by the American Meteor Society

ICYMI: Watch the full news conference ahead of the Artemis II launch opportunity on April 1!

It's called the Russell-McPherron effect! Identified by Christopher Russell and Robert McPherron in their 1973 paper, the effect has to do with how the natural tilt of Earth’s axis changes throughout the year. Twice a year, Earth’s axis is tilted so our planet’s magnetic field “lines up” especially well with incoming solar wind. Because of this alignment, any “direct hits” of solar wind become especially effective at creating auroras. It’s not the only factor that contributes to the seasonal variation of auroras, but it’s probably the biggest one. Learn more about space weather: go.nasa.gov/4bLKwte

Aurora season happens twice a year around the equinoxes, when geomagnetic storms tend to become more common and more intense. Scientists knew about it for decades, but why it happened remained a mystery until 1973 when two scientists proposed a solution. We now explain it with an “effect” named after those two scientists. What is that effect called? Add your guesses below — answer coming on Monday!

It’s #SunDay! Here’s your space weather report for the week of March 20-26: •1 M-class flare •2 C-class flares •39 coronal mass ejections •2 geomagnetic storms This video from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows the week’s activity. This reporting period had two geomagnetic storms, with aurora sightings reported throughout the northern US and Canada. If it seems like geomagnetic storms are happening more often lately, that’s because we’re in “aurora season”! 👇 🧵

To see how such space weather may affect Earth, check out @NWSSWPC, the U.S. government’s official source for space weather forecasts, watches, warnings, and alerts.

The recent flare is not currently anticipated to impact the Artemis II mission. NASA is continuing to monitor space weather activity as the agency prepares for the launch.

The Sun emitted a strong solar flare on March 29, peaking at 11:19 p.m. ET. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured an image of the event, which was classified as X1.4: go.nasa.gov/3NYAuNw

#MeteorSighting: A bright fireball was observed by witnesses on the night of March 26. The fireball first became visible above the Ohio community of Dart, located east of Marietta. It moved northwest at 52,000 mph before disintegrating above Zanesville. Questions? Check here: go.nasa.gov/3Q5cucf More on this fireball: go.nasa.gov/3NUvDwO Eyewitness accounts supplied by the American Meteor Society

Whoops, our answer didn't post! 😬 That's the Moon! The Moon's silhouette appears sharp due to the Moon's lack of atmosphere. When Earth blocks the Sun, the silhouette looks "fuzzy." That's because sunlight is scattered as it passes through our atmosphere.

It’s #SunDay! Here’s your space weather report for the week of March 13-19: •5 M-class flares •1 C-class flare •39 coronal mass ejections •1 geomagnetic storm This video from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows the week’s activity. On the 18th (about 2:28 in the video) another celestial body made an appearance in SDO’s footage. Is that the silhouette of Earth, or the Moon? How can you tell? Correct answer and explanation coming Monday! More on flares & coronal mass ejections: go.nasa.gov/3Naeuv9