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Seattle, WA  September 18, 2009
To all radio amateurs

SB PROP ARL ARLP038
ARLP038 Propagation de K7RA

The STEREO mission (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory) web
site shows a new display, in which the Sun is visible via an
animated image that rotates to show the whole Sun.  The small
portion on the Sun's far side--which is not yet visible to the
spacecraft--is shown as a dark area.

Currently (early Friday, September 18) the animation shows an
emerging bright spot, just beyond the direct view from Earth.

Check the animation at http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/.

The zero degree meridian represents the area closest to Earth,
appearing in the center of the solar disk as viewed from Earth.  The
two 90-degree meridians represent the eastern and western horizon,
and of course the 180 degree meridian is directly opposite Earth's
view.

A full rotation of the Sun relative to Earth takes slightly less
than four weeks.  The bright spot appears around 120 degrees, or 30
degrees short of the eastern limb, and may represent a new sunspot
group.  This would be a wonderful event coinciding with the Autumnal
Equinox, the first day of Fall, which starts next Tuesday afternoon
(September 22) in North America.

Helioseismic readings also show an active region in that area, at 30
degrees south latitude.

Go to http://stereo-ssc.nascom.nasa.gov/where.shtml to see the
current position of the two craft relative to Earth.  Eventually
they will be 180 degrees relative to each other and 90 degrees
relative to Earth.

Thursday's prediction shows solar flux values at 70 beginning
tomorrow, September 19, and continuing through September 24, then
rising to 72 September 25-28.  We haven't reported a weekly solar
flux average above 70 in this bulletin since Propagation Forecast
Bulletin ARLP020 on May 19, and prior to that there were only four
more weeks above 70 in 2009.

These predictions are from NOAA and the US Air Force, which also
predicts a planetary A index of 8 for September 18, and only 5 from
September 19 to more than a month after.

Geophysical Institute Prague also predicts nothing but quiet
geomagnetic conditions for September 18-24.

Steve Jones, N6SJ of Woodside, California hopes to work FT5GA, the
Glorioso DXpedition.  Glorioso is northwest of Madagascar in the
Indian Ocean at approximately 11.5 degrees south latitude, and 47.33
degrees east longitude.

The expedition is expected to be on the air until October 5, and you
can look at http://www.dxwatch.com/dxped/ft5ga/# to see who is
currently working them.