All quiet on the space-weather front
No storms, no notable flares. Aurora limited to the highest latitudes.
Peak 24h · B5.9
Quiet
10.0 p/cm³ · Moderate
Solar X-ray flux
6 h · GOES long channel
Kp forecast
Next 72 h · NOAA predicted
Coronal mass ejections
No CMEs detected in the last 14 days. That's unusually quiet — the Sun cycles between active and calm periods.
Satellite drag (LEO)
Elevated drag
Mild thermospheric heating. Drag is slightly above baseline — operators may schedule small reboost burns.
Impact
- Affected altitudesNoticeable below ~500 km.
- ISSRoutine; may consume slightly more reboost propellant.
- LEO constellationsDecay ~10–20% above baseline.
What this means for you
Plain-language impact for the people who care.
GPS users
Sub-meter accuracy as usual.
Quiet ionosphere. High-precision survey GPS works at full accuracy.
Aviation (polar routes)
Polar HF and GPS are operating normally.
No advisory in effect for trans-polar flights.
Amateur radio (HF)
HF propagation conditions normal.
No advisories. Propagation determined by season + time of day as usual.
Power grid
No grid stress.
Geomagnetic activity is too low to induce significant currents in long transmission lines.
Aurora visibility
Aurora confined to the polar regions.
Only Alaska, northern Canada, Scandinavia and similar latitudes have a chance tonight.
Notable space weather events
Major storms and flares 1997–present
X7.1 flare — Solar Cycle 25 continues intensifying
Another major flare as Solar Cycle 25 approaches its maximum. R3 radio blackout on the daylit hemisphere.
X8.7 flare — largest of Solar Cycle 25
From the same active region AR3664 that caused the May superstorm. Strongest flare in the current solar cycle.
May 2024 Superstorm — G5 extreme
Strongest geomagnetic storm since 2003. Kp=9 for multiple periods. Aurora photographed from Mexico, India, and the Caribbean. Multiple X-class flares from region AR3664.
Geomagnetic storm destroys 40 Starlink satellites
A minor G1 storm increased thermospheric density enough to drag down 40 newly-launched Starlink satellites that hadn't yet raised their orbits. Cost: ~$50 million.
X9.3 flare — strongest in 12 years
Most powerful flare of Solar Cycle 24. Caused R3 radio blackout and was followed by a CME that produced a G4 storm on September 8.
St. Patrick's Day Storm — G4 severe
Strongest geomagnetic storm of Solar Cycle 24. Kp=8. Aurora visible across much of the United States and Europe.
New to space weather?
Quick definitions for the terms on this page
New to space weather?
Quick definitions for the terms on this page
- Kp index
- Geomagnetic disturbance 0–9. 5+ is storm-level.
- Flare class
- A→X, each 10× stronger. M/X can disrupt radio.
- Solar wind
- Plasma speed from the sun. >500 km/s drives aurora.
- R-scale
- Radio blackout level (R1–R5), triggered by M+ flares.