"sun.softwaves.net" --- Current solar activity this minute, and the effects on the Ionosphere and HF radio

Refresh often		The Sun Now	Refresh to get current UTC			Stephen Holland ---- VA7SSE ---- softwaves.net
Click on pics to go to sources for better pictures, info, animations, credits

Current Pictures*		Explanation			Current Measurements ------- Alerts
SDO-- SOHO - AIA Iron atoms rising as beautiful cumulus, fields, streamers		Click to see other images of sun Click to view, then again to enlarge	BBC film explains solar activity well. Click for larger size		Electron count shows ionization, High levels often mean better skip	What HF frequencies work for DX? Blue is good skip, yellow is poor
Flares and X-rays		Magnetic field loops may snap or twist as a flare, blasting out X-rays, radio waves, particles & magnetic         fields < 7 days	If this map shows colors, then the sun is having a flare now because it takes only 8 minutes for X-rays to reach the earth. The blast of X-rays excites the D-layer so it absorbs more radio waves = a Radio Blackout. Lower freq are abosrbed most (red).			X-ray => R Radio Blackouts =			Current X-Ray Flux <----- X-rays over last 6 hours, updated every 1 min. (refresh)
Solar wind & CME last 7 days		The sun sprays out particles all the time, called the Solar Wind with larger amounts called streamers. < GIF files are big but cover more days so show solar activity better GIF movies = 7 days MPG movies = 1 day Click on pics for quick look	CME Coronal Mass Ejection (right) is a blast of particles from a flare or prominence.		Click on dials for Solar wind last 12hrs		S Radiation storm =		NOAA Activity Alerts Range 1 - 5 (extreme) Radio Blackouts Solar Radiation Geomagnetic Storms
					Solar wind varies quickly buffeting magnetosphere, as in this SOHO video example covering only 4 hours
View 1/6 way to earth		Is it aimed at Earth? Because the sun rotates, it drags its field lines into a spiral, the "Parker Spiral" X-rays from a flare go straight like light, but particles follow the spiral field			Where to look for trouble? CME's and flare activity on the right side of the sun are most likely to send particles to hit the Earth following the spiral magnetic field When? If there is a CME burst on right side of the sun in the red "last 7 days" movie, check date of CME and then watch for K and aurora activity in about 2-4 days.
Geomagnetic Storms when particles hit Earth IMF Interplanentary Magnetic Field direction		If the magnetic field of the CME or solar wind is UP (green), parallel to the Earth's field, the particles are deflected because the fields repel. (left) Current IMF of solar wind hitting the Earth now	If the magnetic field is DOWN, it cancels the Earth's magnetic field defenses and allows particles to penetrate close to Earth, plus sweeps the earth with strong magnetic fields. Geomagnetic Storms can distrupt satellites, cause power blackouts, and the incoming particles create strong auroras.		Bar = 3 hour average K, red = "storm"		K => G Geomagnetic Storm =
					Current K-Index More up to date than bar graphs
						Aurora now
Is there lightning in your area? See US and CANADA lightning maps ____________________________________________________ SOURCES Some of these images and data are current within minutes, and some may be days old. Check for UTC time and date on image, or on source page Some Forecast sites and links NOAA DX.QSL.com DailyDX.com solarcycle24.com DXZone _____________________________________________________ ACKNOWLDGEMENTS Hams who have helped with suggestions, links, etc. include: Bill Parkes, VE7PAR Joe Verdirame, VE3LNU Allan Griffin, Editor The Canadian Amateur TCA Magazine, RAC Bernie McClenny, W3UR, The Daily DX Rich Boyd, KE3Q, The Daily DX Robert Kavanagh VE3OSZ Ed Gorse, VE7ED			Some image sources and informative sites DXZone for all kinds of radio and propagation information AIA Real-time images - view 4K in full size for fantastic detail, especially 171 4K which shows solar wind filaments well, and 171 PFSS which shows magnetic field lines superimposed. HAMQSL - Many useful items for amateur radio!!! SDO - some of the best current solar images NASA - SDAC - Current Solar Images , plus many links NASA - SOHO - The latest solar images NASA - Tracking a solar storm CISM - Center for Space Weather Modelling A university lecture on the Sun Current Solar Conditions -Dials - Rice Univ. NOAA - Solar X-ray imager NASA blog Yohkoh images - Japan Excellent pages on solar weather and radio Technical pages on radio propagation CME's discussed by NASA STEREO daily images Movies - an excellent collection of solar movie clips Radiowave propagation centre - HFradio.org < Comet dies + CME < Mercury on other side of sun (Mars on right)			Where are we in the current 11 year solar cycle #24? Is the sun's magnetic field diminishing rapidly? article on Discovery.com The graph below is the predicted #24 about equal to #23. The graph above is the real #24 cycle which is much smaller than #23, suggesting the cycles are getting weaker faster_______________________________			Ionosphere to scale also see Wiki
						Hear the solar flares Flares put out a burst of radiation that can range from X-rays through radio bands. During a flare episode, tune in some quiet band such as around 21 MHz (AM). A steady sound is often galactic background, while human Radio Frequenciy Interference tends to be irregular. (RFI samples) Flares tend to have a "shark fin" shape, as amplitude rises quickly in a few seconds, then drops off slower. Sounds-of-sun webpages -- Helio Sun in New Mexico Radiosky - shark fin shape Radiosky - types of flares Magnetosphere sounds Radiojove - build your own Links to realtime webpages