~ Space Weather Update~ STORM WARNING:

STORM WARNING: NOAA estimates a 60% chance of polar geomagnetic storms on June 9th when a CME is expected to deliver a glancing blow to Earth's magnetic field. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras. Aurora alerts: text, voice.

NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS: Researchers working with data from NASA's AIM spacecraft have announced that noctilucent clouds (NLCs) are behaving strangely. Boosted by changing "teleconnections" in Earth's atmosphere, the summertime clouds appeared earlier this year than ever before, setting the stage for an unusually good season of NLCs. "Unusually good" certainly describes the apparition this morning over Troon, Ayrshire, Scotland:

"It was an amazing display," says photographer Mark Ferrier. "The clouds appeared after sunset on June 8th and lasted straight through to sunrise on June 9th."

High latitude sky watchers should be alert for NLCs in the evenings ahead. In recent years they have been sighted as far south as Utah, Colorado, and Nebraska. Observing tips: Look west 30 to 60 minutes after sunset when the sun has dipped 6^o to 16^o below the horizon. If you see luminous blue-white tendrils spreading across the sky, you've probably spotted a noctilucent cloud.

Switch to: Europe, USA, New Zealand, Antarctica
Credit: NOAA/POES

Planetary K-index
Now: Kp= 3 quiet
24-hr max: Kp= 3 quiet
explanation | more data

Interplanetary Mag. Field
B_total: 6.2 nT
B_z: 3.3 nT south
explanation | more data
Updated: Today at 1536 UT

Coronal Holes: 07 Jun 13

Solar wind flowing from this coronal hole should hit Earth's magnetic field on June 9-10. Credit: SDO/AIA.