☕️📶 F-Layer Café by Steve — August 24 2025

Steven Brown
Aug 24
3 min read

🌞 Good Day!

Good day friends, over the past two weeks, we have witnessed dynamic space weather activity, marked by significant solar flares and upcoming auroras, reminding us of the intense and fascinating nature of our solar environment. These events serve as a beacon of the ongoing and potent influence the Sun has on our technology and daily lives.

📡 Major Space Weather Events

Notable events from the last two weeks

foF1 — Big Flares Return Amid a Farside Blast & Solar Eye Candy: A recent occulted M-1.75 flare caused an R1 radio blackout, increasing the potential for further flares and geomagnetic storms in the coming weeks. Such flares can disrupt communication systems and satellites, as highlighted by the detailed analysis by Tamitha Skov, forecasting expert.

foF2 — Big Storm Calms Down But New Aurora Soon: Although solar activity briefly calmed, a coronal hole is on the horizon, expected to bring about a new wave of auroras, enhancing both scientific interest and spectacular polar night views, as seen in this recent update.

foF3 — An Earth-Directed Storm Comes & Big Flares Return: Region 4168 released an Earth-directed solar storm, accompanied by fast solar winds, likely boosting storm conditions and aurora sightings, detailed in the latest report.

☕️🛰️ Research & Defense Highlights

Latest science + DoD focus

Research Shot – In a publication by Petersen et al. in UF News, July 2025, the research elaborates on the collaborative efforts of the Department of Defense (DoD) with research institutions to enhance space weather forecasting. This work is pivotal for improving defense readiness by better predicting solar events that can impact military operations. Check out the full article here.

DoD Shot – According to ABC News on July 30, 2025, the Pentagon has opted to continue sharing data from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) with NOAA until 2026. This decision ensures continued access to vital SSMIS weather data, crucial for accurate forecasting, which in turn supports technology, public safety, and operational planning. Read more about it here.

📡 What’s Coming Up?

Upcoming events provide critical opportunities for researchers and defense stakeholders to connect and discuss the latest in space weather advancements.

NASA CCMC Virtual Space Weather Seminar Series, 2025-09-10, hosted by NASA CCMC. For details, visit here
2025 Space Weather Workshop, 2025-10-15, Boulder, CO, hosted by NOAA SWPC. More information here.
JHU/APL SEASONS 2025 Conference, 2025-11-05, Maryland, hosted by Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab. Details available here
.
AGU Fall Meeting 2025, 2025-12-09, Chicago, IL, by American Geophysical Union. Learn more here
ESA Space Weather Workshop 2025, 2025-09-25, Paris, France, hosted by the European Space Agency. More information here
AMS 2025 Annual Meeting, 2025-11-12, Denver, CO, by American Meteorological Society. Details here

✨ Stay Connected & Get Involved

We welcome your thoughts and experiences! Feel free to reply with questions, share your own space weather photos, or join our upcoming events. Stay engaged by visiting our page or attending a session near you.

📖 Quick Glossary

F-Layer — The ionospheric layer around 150-400 km altitude affecting HF radio propagation.

Solar Flare — A sudden brightening on the sun, releasing energy and radiation, affecting space weather.

Coronal Mass Ejection — Large expulsion of plasma and magnetic field from the Sun's corona, causing geomagnetic storms.

Radio Blackout — Loss of high-frequency radio communications due to solar flare X-ray induced ionospheric disturbances.

Aurora — Light displays in polar skies caused by charged particles colliding with Earth's atmosphere.

Geomagnetic Storm — Disturbance of Earth’s magnetic field due to solar wind and CMEs impacting the magnetosphere.

SSMIS — Special Sensor Microwave Imager Sounder, a satellite instrument measuring atmospheric and space weather data.

DMSP — Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, a DoD satellite program providing weather and space environment data.

By Steve Brown — Space Weather & Technical Advisor