On December 4th, a massive coronal hole turned toward Earth, sending significant amounts of solar wind toward the planet. The current of the solar wind reached the Earth on December 4th and it continued on December 5th, although in the end it did not have a really great effect. Several smaller eruptions occurred on December 5. And on December 6, we can see a solar disk very full of sunspots!
December 3, 2023: Giant coronal hole spraying Earth!Source: earthsky.org.
A large coronal hole has spewed out lots of fast solar wind had rotated into a geoeffective position, that was a prime position for affecting Earth. The anticipated coronal hole stream has arraived on 4 December, however it has yet to generate geomagnetic storming. The solar wind speed is elevated near 550 km/s, but the Bz component of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) has been mostly pointing north. This condition is known to suppress activity which is not great news for aurora sky watchers.
December 5, 2023. Sun activity granted us an M1.6 flare today. Source: earthsky.org.
Solar activity on Tuesday reached moderate levels thanks to multiple low level M-Flares detected around newly assigned AR 3513 in the northeast quadrant. This region also produced frequent C-Flares today and should be monitored for additional flare activity. Elsewhere, AR 3511 produced occasional C-Flares, the largest of which was a C8.6 at 18:03 UTC (Dec 5).
This image shows sun activity – with the most active regions labeled – as of 0 UTC on December 6, 2023. Source: earthsky.org.
Congratulations to Marianna for her outstanding achievement at the Faculty of Science of ELTE in the 2022/2023 New Hungarian National Excellence Program (ÚNKP)! Marianna's report was recognized as one of the best during the evaluation of the final reports for the 2022/2023 ÚNKP program at the Faculty of Science of ELTE. This is a significant accomplishment, and we extend our congratulations to her!
Video: here.
For more information and to view the list of winners, you can visit the ELTE website. However, please note that the content on the website is in Hungarian. HERE.
We were at European Space Weather Week 2023
The European Space Weather Week (ESWW) is not merely a conference, but also a yearly event that serves as a catalyst for collaboration and innovation across the space weather and space climate sectors, allowing researchers, experts on space weather forecasting, as well as those to whom such data is crucial in their everyday practice, to come together. The event, drawing leading experts from various disciplines, aimed to integrate space weather considerations into a broad spectrum of operational strategies for handling space weather risks.
ESWW2023 highlighted the value of interdisciplinary methods and the pursuit of advanced technologies, including machine learning. The conference's end showcased the significant contributions from sectors as diverse as aviation and insurance, marking a substantial move towards a more resilient and informed response to space weather challenges.
This year, the conference was held in Toulouse, France between 18-24 November. Our colleagues, Balázs Asztalos and Marianna Korsós, organised two topical discussions meetings (TDMs).
Marianna's TDM, titled "Advancing Space Weather and Space Climate: Fostering Collaboration and Enhancing Infrastructure and Data Management,", aimed to get feedback from the various stakeholders in space weather and space climate (scientific institutions, data providers, space agencies, companies, etc.) on the following questions: 1) What are the needs in terms of ground-based and space-based infrastructure, instrumentation, and modelling for space weather and space climate? 2) How to improve the provision of operational services to better meet the needs of users? 3) How to encourage collaboration between all parties?
Balázs's session, "Getting the Space Weather and Space Climate Stakeholder Community Connected – Let's Build the Ecosystem Together!", focused on initiatives driving cooperation among industry professionals, academics, and government institutions to forge a unified direction in space weather research and its applications.
Furthermore, our Foundation was part of the joint session with SWATNet where we discussed how we can further improve our current space weather and space climate forecasting methods.
These sessions, geared towards enhancing collaboration and building a connected community ecosystem, enjoyed high participation and dynamic discussions.
This year, the country's observatories and planetariums held their annual meeting for the twelfth time in Lakitelek, in the Hungarikum Liget and in the Kecskemét Planetarium, which is 40 years old this year. The increasingly high-quality meeting is not only about professionalism, but also about friendly conversations, getting to know each other and brainstorming ideas. The "Mini Dome Film Festival", which has become a tradition, also took place this year.
The meeting in Hungarikum Liget started in a great atmosphere on Sunday morning. The host welcomed the participants, and then we heard lectures from Ottó Zombori, Attila Mizser and Ferenc Ivanics from the past and a small slice of the present of Hungarian astronomy. Balázs Forgács from the Traveling Planetarium (Utazó Planetárium) gave a lecture on the Centenary of Planetariums, as the world's planetariums are 100 years old this year. After the break, we could also hear some excellent professional presentations among many colorful and interesting reports. In the afternoon, we held the Mini Dome Film Festival with the cooperation of the Stargazing Planetarium and the Traveling Planetarium (Utazó Planetárium). In the evening, we took part in an excellent dinner and wine tasting.
The second day of the workshop was held at the Kecskemét Planetarium, which is 40 years old this year. We would like to congratulate the Kecskemét Planetarium on its many years of work and wish you a year rich in further success! During the morning lectures, we got to know the life and everyday routine of the Kecskemét Planetarium, as well as its past and present.
And for the rest of the day, we could listen to the professional presentations and reports. In the afternoon, Dr Bernadett Belucz also gave a presentation about the Foundation's very successful year this year.
We hope to see you again next year!
Have you seen the northern lights and you don't understand why? Here are the answers (source: Időkép)
Do you have many questions about the aurora borealis on Sunday? You can find answers to them here.
On Sunday evening, we didn't have to leave the country, not even our homes, to observe the northern lights. An aurora borealis of a strength rarely seen in Hungary shone in the northern sky in reddish, pink, and sometimes purple colors, offering an unforgettable sight, especially to those who caught a glimpse of the spectacular phenomenon for the first time in their lives.
We tried to take stock of the questions that many of us may have had after Sunday night's spectacle, and we will give you a brief answer to them:
Why did the aurora borealis appear in Hungary? Doesn't it only develop in arctic regions?
Yes, the aurora borealis phenomenon is primarily associated with the Earth's polar regions. However, when the solar wind, i.e. the flow of charged particles coming from the Sun, is extremely strong, these particles can travel much farther from the Earth's magnetic poles and cause stronger geomagnetic storms.
If the geomagnetic storms are intense enough, the aurora borealis can also appear at lower latitudes than usual, so in exceptional cases it can also be observed in Hungary.
What are geomagnetic storms? What is a strong geomagnetic storm?
Geomagnetic storms are periods when charged particles coming from the Sun collide with the Earth's magnetic field with high energy, causing disturbances in it. This phenomenon is often caused by coronal ejections from the Sun or the strong solar wind.
The strength of geomagnetic storms is usually determined on the G-scale, where G1 is the weakest and G5 the strongest storm. Its strength is measured by the Kp-index, which is a scale from 0 to 9. In general, a Kp-index that reaches or exceeds the value of 5 is already considered a "strong" geomagnetic storm, which can cause significant geomagnetic effects and the appearance of the aurora over wider geographical areas, including Hungary.
How strong was the current geomagnetic storm? What was the Kp index?
The current geomagnetic storm had a strength of G3, and the Kp index reached a value of 7.
Should we be afraid of geomagnetic storms? How does a G3 storm affect us?
Geomagnetic storms generally have a limited impact on our daily lives, especially when we are on Earth's surface. A G3 level storm, classified as moderate, mainly affects the Earth's magnetic field and upper atmosphere. For the population, G3 geomagnetic storms do not pose a direct threat, and there is no need to be especially afraid of them. However, infrastructures such as power grids and communication systems require extra attention to minimize potential disruptions.
Why did the aurora borealis appear from Hungary in a reddish, pinkish, sometimes purple color? Isn't it usually green?
The color of the aurora depends on the gases in the atmosphere and the height where the charged particles from the Sun hit them. The green aurora is the most common, resulting from the excitation of oxygen molecules at lower altitudes, around 100-300 kilometers. The red and pink colors are created by the excitation of oxygen located in the higher layers of the atmosphere, at a height of over 300 kilometers.
When the aurora borealis is observed in areas further away from the north or south pole, such as Hungary, the higher parts of the phenomenon may be observed above the horizon, because due to the curvature of the Earth, atmospheric layers higher up above the Earth's surface will be visible, therefore the reddish and pink hues of the aurora borealis will appear in the sky over our country.
At the same time, to a small extent, the green color also appeared during the current and April 23 occasions in the northern areas free of light pollution, near the horizon.
Can the aurora borealis be predicted?
Yes, the aurora is predictable to a certain extent. The activity of the Sun, including solar flares and the intensity of the solar wind, is monitored by space weather satellites. If these measurements predict a strong geomagnetic storm, the appearance of the aurora becomes more likely and predictions can be made about the possible observation period and location. However, predicting the exact timing and intensity can be difficult due to the variability of the Sun's behavior.
Why do you see the aurora borealis so often in Hungary lately?
We are in a more active phase of the Sun's 11-year cycle, when there are more solar flares and increases in the intensity of the solar wind, so these geomagnetic storms can cause auroras over larger areas.
Does this mean that there can be geomagnetic storms as strong as this one, or even stronger? Can we still see the aurora borealis?
The current 25th solar cycle is expected to reach its peak in 2025. And as the climax approaches, the Sun becomes more and more active and we can experience more solar flares. Therefore, there will probably be more strong geomagnetic storms in the coming years, so it may be possible to observe new and perhaps even more intense auroras, even at latitudes as low as that of Hungary.
After sunset on Sunday, the aurora borealis appeared for the 10th time this year, but it has never been so strong and wonderful.
Even in the afternoon, the so-called aurora borealis forecasts showed that it will be worth spying on the sky in the evening. The so-called KP-index is a global index used to express the geomagnetic activity, i.e. the disturbance of the Earth's magnetic field, its value can range from 0 to 9. 0 indicates inactivity, while 9 is an extreme geomagnetic storm, this index was already 6 in the afternoon. It reached 7 at 6 p.m.
Dendrochronology, i.e. the study of annual rings, revealed that the Sun, which we know as gentle, can also be rude.
An international research team found traces of the strongest solar storm known to date by examining the annual rings of trees from the French Alps. During the dating of the rings carried out by the employees of the University of Leeds, University of Marseille, Collége de France, CEREGE, and IMBE institutes, carbon isotopes were compared with the jump in the amount of beryllium detectable in Greenland ice samples and it was established that the storm occurred about 14,300 years ago.
Geomagnetic storms are caused by solar activity, when material is ejected from the bulbous upper atmosphere of the star called the corona as a result of the instability of the Sun's magnetic field. When this material reaches the Earth, it disrupts its magnetic field, which causes an increase in cosmic radiation. Overall, it has relatively mild consequences, with the exception perhaps of the geomagnetically induced current, which causes electrical disturbances if there are pieces of surface or orbiting electrical equipment in the vicinity.
The best-known geomagnetic storm was the so-called Carrington event in 1859. Particles hitting the Earth's magnetic field caused the strong aurora to be seen around the world. The then rudimentary electrical network and telegraphs became unusable. According to reports from the time, the devices threw sparks, which caused several fires. (The event was named after the English astronomer Richard Christopher Carrington, who documented the solar flare and the appearance of sunspots at the same time with his colleague Richard Hodgson.)
The Carrington event has often appeared as a cautionary example, as a contingency that sooner or later can cause extremely great damage to human civilization, which today relies on electrical technology, computers, digital communication and satellites at all levels.
If that wasn't worrying enough, based on the findings just presented, according to the researchers, this, on a geological timescale recent geomagnetic event may have been ten times stronger than the one observed by Carrington and his colleagues.
It was still twice as strong as the strongest geomagnetic storm known to date, which occurred in 774 CE and appeared in Chinese records in the form of strange storms, and in the writings of Anglo-Saxon chroniclers as a red cross visible in the sky.
During such a space storm, the amount of radioactive isotopes increases, which can be detected thousands of years later - traces of these are called Miyake events.
"Radioactive carbon is produced in the upper atmosphere as a result of the chain reaction initiated by cosmic rays. Science has recently established that the effect of high-energy particles from extreme solar activity, solar flares and material ejection can be preserved as a radiocarbon spike from the given year," explained Edouard Bard, the author of the study.
From time to time, the academic sphere draws attention to the potential consequences of such solar storms on energy infrastructure and telecommunications. One of the important directions of preparing for such consequences is the prediction of space weather, which includes the examination of Miyake events and their frequency. One important area of this is dendrochronology, i.e. the study of annual rings, for which researchers found well-preserved tree trunks in the French Alps, whose value would be difficult to estimate - this led to the discovery of the monstrous solar storm 14,300 years ago.
"The past weekend has not passed without an astronomy-related programme at the Almásy Castle. Among a number of topics, Bernadett Belucz gave a talk about how news related to alien lifeforms should be handled in the press."
Recordings of the interview can be found at (from 10:12): here.
We heartily congratulate to Balázs Asztalos, because his application submitted within the framework of the 2023 Doctoral Excellence Scholarship Programme (DKÖP-2023) is supported by ELTE. Great news!
Dr. Belucz Bernadett held two lectures for those interested on the occasion of the Researchers' Night at the Almássy Castle in Gyula.
Terraforming Mars from 11 a.m. - Humanity's curiosity about Mars goes back many decades. Already from the second half of the 19th century, we turned our telescopes towards Mars with interest and observed a whole multitude of shapes that we saw or only thought we could see on the surface of our red neighbor named after the god of war. As a result, Mars quickly became the most important target for the question of intelligent extraterrestrial life. Since the 1960s, the conquest of the red planet has become one of the universal, great tasks of humanity, and we have never been so close to visiting the home of our "martian neighbors". Around the turn of the millennium, we sent a whole host of probes to explore the planet. The purpose of Mars research was not only to get to know the planet more thoroughly than ever before, but also to prepare for a manned mission to Mars, which is believed to be feasible within a few decades. But what awaits us once we get there?
From 12 o'clock Life in the Solar System outside the Earth - Based on our current knowledge, the formation and development of life in our Solar System took place only on Earth. Or not? What other potential bodies are there in the Solar System that could support life? What could these forms of life completely different from earthly life be like, if they existed?
We are pleased about the great interest and that we were able to welcome many familiar faces among the visitors again! To be continued!
Szabolcs Soós and Balázs Asztalos, members of the Hungarian Solar Physics Foundation, hold a solar observation at the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the Eötövös Lorand University!
We're thrilled to extend our heartfelt congratulations to Professor Robertus von Fay-Siebenburgen, widely known as Robertus Erdélyi, for his remarkable achievement in being honored with the prestigious Education Award for 2023 by the University of Sheffield.
Notably, Professor Erdélyi serves as both a charter member and the esteemed chair of the Hungarian Solar Physics Foundation Advisory Board. This recognition is a testament to his dedication and outstanding contributions to the field of education and solar physics. Well done, Professor Erdélyi!
On Saturday, Dr Bernadett Belucz will give two interesting astronomy-themed lectures on the occasion of the Researchers' Night at the Gyulai Almásy Castle Visitor Center.
It was great to see so many interested people and our familiar, returning visitors! Thank you for the positive feedback! We are glad that you had an experience!
Congratulations to Dr Marianna Korsos, who has been awarded a 1-yr fellowship to be held at Eotvos University, under the New National Excellence Programme 2023/24.
The Hungarian Solar Physics Foundation is once again organizing its popular series of scientific events under the name Gyula Astronomy Days 2023 on September 16-17 at the Gyula Almásy Castle, to which we cordially invite and welcome all interested parties. In connection with the same event, we also participate in the national Researchers' Night event series!
We aim to bring the local scientific life closer to people, and to create an opportunity for those interested to get answers to their astronomy-related questions from our professional astronomers. We want to achieve this with a diverse and interesting event that goes beyond simply listening to a lecture. At the same time, we hope that the Astronomy Days in Gyula will create a tradition as well.
Szabolcs Soós caught a couple of sundogs on the recordings of our IP camera today.
An atmospheric phenomenon that appears on one or both sides of the Sun, often in the color of rainbow, is called a sundog. These bright "pseudo-suns" are created by light refracting on the side faces of horizontally standing sheet crystals.
Both the telescope and the dome survived the first remote observation!
Marianna Korsós and Szabolcs Soós from the Canary Islands, La Palma, signed up to the Gyula telescope during the observation and made successfully some pictures from sunspots! The system works perfectly!
It is our great pleasure to accounce that our chief engineer, Mr Janos Temesvary, has just been admitted with flying colours to the Electrical Engineering MSc programme at Faculty of Kalman Kando Electric Engineering (Obuda University). This is an excellent achievement and news, congratulations Jani!
Nine European countries have today (25 July 2023) joined forces to commit to the construction of the European Solar Telescope (EST). The EST will be the biggest solar telescope ever constructed in Europe and aims to provide unparalleled new insights into the phenomena of space weather.The first light of the EST is planned for 2028-2029! Construction of the largest ever solar telescope built in Europe, designed to provide unparalleled insight into the phenomena of space weather, will also be supported by the GSO of the Hungarian Solar Physics Foundation.
Launched in 2008, the European Solar Telescope (EST) project aims to provide valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying solar flares and coronal mass ejections. These events determine so-called ‘space weather’, which can lead to geomagnetic storms on earth - seen as the northern lights - and have a strong influence on our technological society.
Professor Robertus von Fay-Siebenburgen, from HSPF and from the University of Sheffield’s School of Mathematics and Statistics, will be a principal investigator for the UKUC project. He said: “The EST will be the biggest ground-based solar telescope constructed in Europe and will keep its European partners at the forefront of solar physics research, so it's fantastic that so many UK partners have been able to come together to join the EST Canary Foundation today.
“This kind of unrivalled research infrastructure will provide European astronomers and plasma-astrophysicists with an extraordinary tool for observing the Sun and its space weather, one that will pave the way for scientific advancements in some of the world’s biggest and most important challenges, such as the development of green fusion energy.
“By being able to study the physical processes happening in the solar chromosphere in such detail for the first time, we will gain new insight into how the heating mechanisms occur that underpin the plasma heating processes. Learning from how nature does it will help us explore how to replicate the process for the benefit of humankind.”
The optical configuration and instrumentation of EST have been meticulously designed to study the magnetic and dynamic coupling of the solar atmosphere, and capture the interactions between the different atmospheric layers of the Sun.
Additionally, a comprehensive set of instruments will be installed to enable simultaneous observations across multiple wavelengths. This unique capability will give the EST a higher efficiency compared to existing or future telescopes, whether ground-based or space-borne.
We are pleased to report that the VI Békés County Meeting of Disabled Youth has just finished with great success! The event was attended by many hundreds of young people in the city of Gyula. The Foundation's planetarium programme was very successful, according to feedback received. None of the participants had ever attended such a programme before. After the planetarium shows, they were very happy to tell us how good and interesting the films presented were. It is a great joy and pride that the youths rewarded all our performances with sparkling eyes and huge applause!
Special thanks go to Utazó Planetárium Kft. for their contribution to the success of event and for making their 7m dome available to us, which made it much more comfortable for folks to participate in the programme! Also, a huge thank goes to the organizers for taking care of escorting the groups to the venue! Finally, we thank Gyula Council for providing the venue and for the open, highly professionaly organisedl and very pleasent atmosphere throughout the entire event!
May 25, Gyula - VI Békés County Meeting of Disabled Youth
The "VI Békés County Meeting of Disabled Youth" event series looks back on many years of tradition. Like so many things, this was postponed because the COVID epidemic in 2019, but after a long hiatus, we are waiting for the young people again! In this year, the Hungarian Solar Physics Foundation and Utazó Planetarium Kft. will jointly ensure that young people - in addition to other programs - get to know the world of the planetarium.
Organized groups will come to the Kohán Gallery from 9 a.m. on May 25 to take part in a journey through the solar system or marvel at why the universe is so amazing! The presentations take place in Utazó Planetárium Kft.'s mobile dome with a diameter of 7 meters, which, due to its dimensions, allows the children to be as comfortable as possible and to provide them with the maximum experience! Our colleague Dr Belucz Bernadett gives the presentations to the youths.
Phoenix rising of a solar observatory
Click here Meteor, vol. 53, for the article by Dr Marianna B Korsós.
Marianna has taken on the hat of a historian and reports about the traces of an old astronomy observatory. This observatory once existed in the beautilful and picturesque village of Balatonrendes, on the northern banks of lake Balaton. Our foundation, HPSF, follows suit of this local tradition and is now in the process of building a new, state-of-the-arts solar observatory in the same location. Hopefully the opening of the Balatonrendes Schenk Jakab Solar Observatory (BSO) for the wide public will take place during the summer of 2024. Note, the original article is in Hungarian.
The first modern planetarium opened on May 7, 1925, let's celebrate the operation of planetariums together! There are several planetariums nationwide this weekend
planetarium performances for the general public! Come in and watch planetarium shows!
According to the plan, the Foundation will also join the event!
Participation in the event is free!
A planetarium is also coming to the meeting in Gyula (source: BEOL)
On Thursday, May 25, from 9 a.m., the County Meeting of Injured Youth will be held for the sixth time in Gyula, in the Zsolt Prohászka City Gymnasium.
In the photo (from left) Zoltán Kovács, head of institution, president Zsuzsanna Papp, deputy mayor Norbert Alt, president Balázs Fenesi
