Category - Blog

Less than a week ago, sunspot 1158 didn’t exist. Now it is wider than the planet Jupiter and unleashing the strongest solar flares since Dec. 2006.

Click on the arrow to witness the amazing 5-day development of this active region, courtesy of NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory:

The Sun has unleashed its strongest flare in four years, observers say. The eruption is a so-called X-flare, the strongest type; such flares can affect communications on Earth. Nasa’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) spacecraft recorded an intense flash of extreme ultraviolet radiation emanating from a sunspot.
The British Geological Survey (BGS) has issued a geomagnetic storm warning, and says observers might be able to see aurorae from the northern UK. The monster flare was recorded at 0156 GMT on 15 February and directed atthe Earth.
Preliminary data from the Stereo-B and Soho spacecraft suggest that the explosion produced a fast but not particularly bright coronal mass ejection (CME) – a burst of charged particles released into space.
The unpredictable eruptions on the Sun can interfere with modern technology on Earth, such as electrical power grids, communications systems and satellites.

On Wednesday, the BGS released a rarely seen archive of geomagnetic recordsthat provide an insight into “space weather” stretching back to the Victorian era. BGS scientists say that studies of solar storms in the past could inform the prediction of future space weather and help mitigate threats to national infrastructure. Displays of the Northern Lights (aurora borealis) have already been seen further south than usual in Northern Ireland and elsewhere in the UK. And further solar activity is expected over the next few days. Researchers say the Sun has been awakening after a period of several years of low activity.

The Intrepid-DX Group and the DX Friends have combined efforts to announce our next DXpedition, to the newly created country of Southern Sudan, to take place after July 9^th 2011.

The Intrepid-DX Group is the group which brought you the 2010 YI9PSE, IRAQ DXpedition. The DX Friends have brought you the 2006 S01R DXpedition to Western Sahara, the 2008 DXpedition to Rwanda as 9X0R, the 2009 DXpedition to Western Sahara as S04R, the 2010 DXpedition to Palestine as E4X and the 2010 DXpedition to San Marino as T70A.

It is hoped that the callsign ST0DX will be issued this next week following our meeting with the Government of Southern Sudan Mission in America. The primary objective is to activate Southern Sudan with a view to giving as many DXers as possible a first contact with this new DXCC entity and, as a secondary objective, to give as many band-slots as possible.

As with previous DXpeditions, this will be a major effort, with a target of more than 150,000 QSOs.

The callsign will be on all HF Bands using CW, SSB and Data Modes.

QSL for the event is via MØOXO. Further information available here.

You can find a full list of participating stations here

470 Cards to the RSGB Bureau today (07th February 2011) for G4RCG.
625 Cards to the RSGB Bureau today (07th February 2011) for GBØANT.
220 Cards to the RSGB Bureau today (07th February 2011) for MØOXO.
120 Cards Direct for MW0RLJ.

Just a look to the last NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) progression chart… really a not encouraging news:

Sunspot count is still lower or forecast levels are still higher?

Thanks to Max IK8LOV for the information        http://ik8lov.tumblr.com/