Topband: Geomagnetic condx

[Garry Shapiro]

Those looking for VK9ML who had hoped that condx had returned to normal
after the recent CME, with its large A and K values should be aware of the
following from www.spaceweather.com:

   X-FLARE: Twisted magnetic fields above
   sunspot 9906 erupted at ~0100 UT on April
   21st. The explosion sparked a powerful
   X1-class solar flare and hurled a coronal
   mass ejection (movie) into space. Although
   the CME was not squarely Earth-directed
   (because the source of the explosion was
   near the Sun's western limb), it will nevertheless deliver a glancing
   blow to our planet's magnetosphere on April 22nd or 23rd. Sky
   watchers should remain alert for auroras during the nights ahead.

The proton flux resulting from this disturbance is shown at

http://www.sec.noaa.gov/rt_plots/pro_3d.html

The proton flux has increased rapidly by over four orders of magnitude!

Let's hope the "glancing" blow does not cause a return to A indices in the
high 40's as we saw the past few days. However, some of the northern
magnetometers (ftp://ftp.sec.noaa.gov/pub/latest/MA2hr.txt) aare showing
higher readings again.

Of course, this is all separate from the high QRN that Eric, K3NA has been
dealing with.

Spaceweather also has some stunning auroral photos, taken as far south as
San Diego, and also one from New Zealand of the aurora australis.

This has definitely now been timely as far as the Mellish DXpedition is
concerned.

73,

Garry, NI6T
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160 meters---not a band but an obsession