Space Weather
Space weather describes changing environmental conditions in near-Earth space. Magnetic fields, radiation, particles and matter, which have been ejected from the Sun, can interact with the Earth’s upper atmosphere and surrounding magnetic field to produce a variety of effects.
Space weather notifications
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Aurora forecasts
Northern Hemisphere
Geomagnetic activity is expected to be largely at Background resulting in only limited opportunities for auroral visibility. Any viewing prospects will be further constrained by the short hours of darkness typical of this time of year.
Southern Hemisphere
Geomagnetic activity is expected to remain largely at background, with auroral visibility likely to be limited and largely confined to the Antarctic continent.
Issued at: 17:37 (GMT) on Wed 17 Jun 2026
Forecast overview
Space Weather Forecast Headline: No significant activity.
Analysis of Space Weather Activity over past 24 hours
Solar Activity: Low with only two small Common-class flares observed. There are four sunspot regions on the visible disc, with one of these having now moved over the western limb, but a small new region also developing in the northeast. The other regions remain small, simple and either decaying or stable.
No Earth-directed Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) were observed.
Solar Wind / Geomagnetic Activity: Solar winds showed a very weak enhancement due to the fast winds of CH67/+. Solar wind speeds were mainly Background, below 400km/s, before gradually rising to be Slightly Elevated at 400-430km/s since 17/0700 UTC. Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) was Weak to Moderate. The north-south component (Bz) was Weak and variable at first, but became persistently weakly northward 16/1715-17/0015 UTC, before then briefly becoming Moderately northward at 17/0400 UTC. An erratic rotation then occurred, to be weakly Southward by 17/0720 UTC. Geomagnetic Activity was Quiet (Kp 1-2).
Energetic Particles / Solar Radiation: The count rate of energetic particles (high energy protons) was at background with no solar radiation storms observed.
Four-Day Space Weather Forecast Summary
Solar Activity: Low activity is forecast with a chance of falling Very Low.
Solar Wind / Geomagnetic Activity: There are no Earth-directed CMEs. Weak coronal hole sourced enhancements on day 1 (17 Jun) and day 3 (19 Jun), are likely to bring brief periods of Slightly Elevated winds, perhaps peaking Elevated on day 3 (19 Jun). Geomagnetic activity is expected to be mostly Quiet (Kp 0-2) with isolated Unsettled (Kp3) intervals. Any coronal hole enhancements are likely to bring spells of Unsettled, with a chance of Active intervals (Kp4).
Energetic Particles / Solar Radiation: The count rate of energetic particles (high energy protons) is forecast to persist at Background with no solar radiation storms occurring.
Issued at: 12:11 (GMT) on Wed 17 Jun 2026
Solar imagery
SDO AIA-193
This channel highlights the outer atmosphere of the Sun - called the corona - as well as hot flare plasma. Hot active regions, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections will appear bright here. The dark areas - called coronal holes - are places where very little radiation is emitted, yet are the main source of solar wind particles.
Issued at:
SDO AIA-304
This channel is especially good at showing areas where cooler dense plumes of plasma (filaments and prominences) are located above the visible surface of the Sun. Many of these features either can't be seen or appear as dark lines in the other channels. The bright areas show places where the plasma has a high density.
Issued at: