☕️📶 F-Layer Café by Steve — November 01 2025
- Steven Brown
- Nov 1
- 3 min read
🌞 Good Day!
Good day friends! This past month has been a whirlwind in the world of space weather, with significant solar activity impacting both our everyday technology and skies above. The auroras have been putting on breathtaking displays while geomagnetic storms have kept us on our toes with their potential disruptions.
📡 Major Space Weather Events
Notable events from the last two weeks
foF1 — November 2025 Geomagnetic Storm Calendar and Forecast: November has been bustling with geomagnetic activity, with moderate to strong storms affecting Earth, indicating potential disruptions to power grids and navigation. Stay informed via RBC Ukraine.
foF2 — Iowa Researchers Study the Ionosphere’s Role in Aurora Formation: This fascinating study from the University of Iowa reveals how the ionosphere contributes to auroras, enhancing our understanding of these delightful displays. More details can be found at their Physics Department.
foF3 — Farside Solar Blast Causes Radiation Storm Affecting Earth: A solar blast from the Sun's farside has caused elevated radiation levels, which has been affecting aviation while bringing increased auroral activity. Explore this topic further via a YouTube presentation.
☕️🛰️ Research & Defense Highlights
Latest science + DoD focus
Research Shot – The latest from EGUsphere highlights a next-generation ionospheric model (NIMO) developed by L. Fejer, M. Hernández-Pajares, and colleagues. This model adeptly combines real-time data assimilation with ionospheric theory, offering improved forecasts crucial for both operational and research purposes. Discover more in EGUsphere (October 2025).
DoD Shot – Continuing solar activity has led to an extended radiation storm affecting aviation this past fortnight, as reported on October 23. This situation places high-altitude fliers at potential risk, underscoring the importance of understanding space weather for flight safety. Stay up-to-date via YouTube.
📡 What’s Coming Up?
Upcoming events promise to bolster collaboration among researchers, defense experts, and the public, enhancing our collective knowledge and preparedness.
2025 CEDAR Workshop, December 8, organized by UCAR in Boulder, Colorado.
.
AGU Fall Meeting 2025, December 9, San Francisco, California.
.
NASA Heliophysics Science Division Seminar, November 12, conducted virtually.
.
NOAA Space Weather Workshop 2026 Call for Abstracts, November 15, Boulder, CO.
.
✨ Stay Connected & Get Involved
Your insights matter to us! Please reply with your thoughts or questions, or feel free to submit photos of the recent auroral displays. Engage with our community by visiting our site or attending our upcoming events.
📖 Quick Glossary
Geomagnetic Storm — A disturbance in Earth's magnetic field caused by solar wind and solar storms interacting with the magnetosphere, measured by the K-index. Ionosphere — A layer of Earth's upper atmosphere ionized by solar radiation, crucial for radio communication and auroral phenomena. K-index — A scale from 0 to 9 that quantifies the severity of geomagnetic storms based on magnetic field disturbances. Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) — A large burst of solar wind and magnetic fields released from the Sun's corona that can cause geomagnetic storms upon reaching Earth. Aurora — Natural light displays in polar regions caused by charged particles from the solar wind interacting with the ionosphere. Solar Flare — A sudden, intense burst of radiation and energy from the Sun's surface, often associated with sunspots and solar storms. Total Electron Content (TEC) — A measure of the number of electrons in a column of the ionosphere, affecting GPS signals and radio propagation. Assimilative Model — A computational model that incorporates real-time observational data to improve accuracy of space weather forecasts. Radiation Storm — An increase in energetic charged particles near Earth caused by solar activity, posing risks to satellites and high-altitude aviation.
By Steve Brown — Space Weather & SDA Technical Advisor
Comments