Celestial Events

Today’s Alignment – March 23, 2012

http://www.astro.com/swisseph/ahel/2000/ahel2012.pdf

SWISS Ephemeris for March, 2012

Events

Meteor Showers

Lyrids - April 21-22 | Eta Aquarids - May 5-6 | Delta Aquarids - July 28-30 | Capricornids - July 29-30

Perseids - August 11-12 | Orionids - October 20-21 | Leonids - November 16-17 | Geminids - December 12-13

Eclipses

1) Annual Solar Eclipse – May 20
2) Partial Lunar Eclipse – June 04
3) Total Eclipse – Nov 13
4) Penumbral Lunar Eclipse – Nov 28

Transits

Transit of Venus of 2012 – Jun 05/06

Near-Earth Objects

UPCOMING CLOSE APPROACHES TO EARTH

1 AU = ~150 million kilometers
1 LD = Lunar Distance = ~384,000 kilometers

Object Name	Close Approach Date	Miss Distance (AU)	Miss Distance (LD)	Estimated Diameter*	H (mag)	Relative Velocity (km/s)
(2012 EB2)	2012-Mar-23	0.0395	15.4	32 m – 71 m	24.6	5.85
(2012 BS23)	2012-Mar-23	0.1580	61.5	140 m – 310 m	21.4	11.05
(2012 DW30)	2012-Mar-24	0.1191	46.4	77 m – 170 m	22.7	5.02
(2012 EC)	2012-Mar-24	0.1939	75.5	52 m – 120 m	23.5	2.90
(2012 DO)	2012-Mar-25	0.1061	41.3	240 m – 540 m	20.2	7.59
(2012 EK8)	2012-Mar-25	0.0289	11.2	51 m – 110 m	23.6	9.28
152754 (1999 GS6)	2012-Mar-26	0.1118	43.5	340 m – 760 m	19.5	11.71
(2011 GB55)	2012-Mar-27	0.1114	43.4	130 m – 280 m	21.6	16.14
(2012 FE)	2012-Mar-27	0.0318	12.4	10 m – 23 m	27.0	6.95
(2002 EW8)	2012-Mar-28	0.1996	77.7	53 m – 120 m	23.5	13.67
(2012 EM8)	2012-Mar-30	0.0466	18.1	30 m – 67 m	24.8	4.08
(2012 CA55)	2012-Mar-30	0.0566	22.0	120 m – 270 m	21.7	9.26
(2008 GD)	2012-Mar-30	0.1687	65.6	300 m – 670 m	19.7	32.35
(2009 TP)	2012-Mar-31	0.1157	45.0	52 m – 120 m	23.5	3.72

Credit: http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/ca

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The Sun Today: March 23, 2012

Solar Winds: 377.5 km/h
Density: 1.4 protons/cm³ - Sunspots: 86 – The geomagnetic field was quiet to active on March 22.

Solar wind speed at SOHO ranged between 345 and 442 km/s. A minor disturbance was observed arriving at ACE near 18h and caused unsettled conditions for the remainder of the day and early on March 23.

Solar flux measured at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 102.4 (decreasing 6.5 over the last solar rotation). The Potsdam WDC planetary A index was 9 (STAR Ap – based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 8.6). Three hour interval K indices: 12110134 (planetary), 11001233 (Boulder).

The background x-ray flux is undetermined (the main data source for x-ray flux, GOES-15, is unavailable. SWPC is using GOES-13 to monitor x-ray flux).

At midnight UTC the visible solar disk had 8 spotted active regions (in 2K resolution SDO images).

Region 11433 [N09W82] decayed slowly and quietly.
Region 11438 [S14E44] was quiet and stable.
Region 11440 [S26W38] decayed and currently has a magnetically simple structure.
New region 11441 [S28W56] emerged in the southwest quadrant on March 19 and was numbered by SWPC 3 days later.
New region 11442 [N12E52] emerged in the northeast quadrant on March 21 and got an SWPC number one day later.
New region 11443 [N16E65] rotated into view at the northeast limb on March 21 and was assigned a number by SWPC the following day.

Spotted regions not reported by NOAA/SWPC:
[S1543] emerged in the northeast quadrant on March 22. Location at midnight: N20E52
[S1544] emerged in the northeast quadrant on March 22. Location at midnight: N23E14

An active region is early on March 23 rotating into view at the southeast limb (S23E86) with several spots. The region could produce C flares.

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs)

March 20-22: No obviously Earth directed CMEs were observed in LASCO and STEREO imagery.

Coronal holes

Coronal hole history (since October 2002)
Compare today’s report to the situation one solar rotation ago: 28 days ago 27 days ago 26 days ago

A coronal hole (CH508) in the southern hemisphere was in an Earth facing position on March 20. CH508 decayed and had closed on March 22 due to new corona from AR 11440. A very elongated recurrent trans equatorial coronal hole (CH509) will rotate into an Earth facing position on March 23-26.

Coronal hole map