A C2.1 flare peaked at 00:29 UT today. It originated behind the limb at Catania 92 (NOAA AR 2092 and 2087) which rotated over the west limb today. A CME seems to be related to this flare, but there is no coronagraph, nor any STEREO-A data (data gap) to confirm, this should not be Earth directed in any case. More flaring activity at the C-class level can be expected from this AR (before it disappears completely from the visible side of the Sun), from Catania 89 and 90 (NOAA AR 2093, even though it has lost its beta gamma configuration) and Catania 92 (NOAA AR 2096) and Catania 93 (NOAA AR 2097), which are growing in size.
A partial halo CME erupted at 06:12 UT (first seen by LASCO-C2, after a data gap), with an angular width of about 100 degrees and speed of 1000 km/s. This event is backsided, the eruption started in the south west of
the the Sun as seen by STEREO-A, the bulk of the material is directed towards the south and it is not expected to arrive to the Earth.A shock was detected at ACE on June 23 at 22:00 UT, it corresponds to the expected glancing blow of the CME from June 19. The speed jumped to 400 km/s while the magnetic field intensity did not reach 10 nT. Therefore, only unsettled geomagnetic conditions occurred. The arrival of the CME from June 20 is expected later on today with possible active to minor storm levels. A glancing blow from the CME on June 21 can be expected tomorrow, causing active conditions at most.
SIDC
Daily Archives: June 24, 2014
The Iris Nebula in a Field of Dust

Image Credit & Copyright: Mikel Martínez
What flowers in this field of dark star dust? The Iris Nebula. The striking blue color of the Iris Nebula is created by light from the bright star SAO 19158 reflecting off of a dense patch of normally dark dust. Not only is the star itself mostly blue, but blue light from the star is preferentially reflected by the dust — the same affect that makes Earth’s sky blue. The brown tint of the pervasive dust comes partly fromphotoluminescence — dust converting ultraviolet radiation to red light. Cataloged as NGC 7023, the Iris Nebula is studied frequently because of the unusual prevalence there of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), complex molecules that are also released on Earth during the incomplete combustion of wood fires. The bright blue portion of the Iris Nebula spans about six light years. The Iris Nebula, pictured above, lies about 1300 light years distant and can be found with a small telescope toward the constellation of Cepheus.
APOD NASA 24-Jun-14
IC 410 and NGC 1893 in the constellation Auriga
An emission nebula IC 410 lies about 12,000 light-years away in the constellation Auriga. The cloud of glowing hydrogen gas is over 100 light-years across, sculpted by stellar winds and radiation from embedded open star cluster NGC 1893. Formed in the interstellar cloud a mere 4 million years ago, the bright cluster stars are seen just below the prominent dark dust cloud near picture center. Notable near the 7 o’clock position in this wide, detailed view are two relatively dense streamers of material trailing away from the nebula’s central regions. Potentially sites of ongoing star formation, these cosmic tadpole shapes are about 10 light-years long.
Imaging telescopes or lenses: Orion Optics UK CT8
Imaging cameras: SBIG ST-8300M
Mounts: Losmandy G11
Guiding telescopes or lenses: Orion Optics UK CT8
Guiding cameras: Starlight Xpress Lodestar guide camera
Focal reducers: Baader Planetarium RCC
Software: Maxim DL, photoshop
Filters: Baader Planetarium SII 8nm, Baader Planetarium OIII 8.5nm, Baader Planetarium 7nm H-Alpha
Accessories: Celestron Radial Guider
Dates: Dec. 27, 2013, Dec. 30, 2013, Jan. 3, 2014
Frames:
Baader Planetarium 7nm H-Alpha: 28×900″ bin 1×1
Baader Planetarium OIII 8.5nm: 27×900″ bin 2×2
Baader Planetarium SII 8nm: 15×900″ bin 2×2
Integration: 17.5 hours
Author: Jacek Bobowik
AstroPhotography of the day by SPONLI 24 June 2014