[KL7AA] SunSpots & Aurora

[JD Delancy]

Space Weather News for Oct. 11, 2008

http://spaceweather.com

NEW SUNSPOT:  A  "new-cycle" sunspot belonging to Solar Cycle 24 is emerging near the sun's northeastern limb. This is the third time in as many weeks that a new-cycle sunspot has interrupted the year's remarkable run of blank suns.  The accelerating pace of new-cycle sunspot production is an encouraging sign that, while solar activity remains very low, the sunspot cycle is unfolding more or less normally.  We are not stuck in a permanent solar minimum.  Readers with solar telescopes should train them on the sun this weekend to observe sunspot genesis in action.


AURORA WATCH:  Sky watchers from Alaska to Scandinavia should be alert for auroras tonight.  A solar wind stream is buffeting Earth's magnetic field and causing high-latitude geomagnetic storms.

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