Satellites Charge as Fast Solar Wind Approaches | Space Weather News 01.13.2020

This week our Sun returns to spotless, but not before it gave us yet another new cycle sunspot, region 2756. That region has since rotated behind the Sun’s west limb, however, we still have several bright regions in Earth view so the solar flux remains in the marginal range for radio propagation. On top of this we have a small coronal hole that will be rotating through the Earth-strike zone over the next few days and sending us some fast wind. This could bring us some aurora views, possibly down to mid-latitudes briefly. Aurora views at high latitudes should last until the weekend. Since we recently had a weak solar storm hit, this means the near-Earth environment is a bit wound-up so satellites and other space traffic in and near GEO orbits have a slightly elevated risk of surface charging over the next few days. Learn the details of the coming fast solar wind, including how it will affect you, and see what else our Sun has in store!