Poster presentations by NISP personnel at the 2026 Space Weather meeting in Boulder, CO.

The 2026 Space Weather meeting took place in Boulder, Colorado on 28 April- 1 May, 2026. NISP personnel presented several posters during this meeting relevant to Space Weather research and operational forecast. The presentations included: 

• "VSO 2.0 and Space Weather" by N. Oien et al
• "Full-disk Hα Spectroheliograph development for GONG: Preliminary results" by S. Gosain et al.
• "Limb-Flare Prediction (and...beyond-limb flare prediction) with a 4π Full-Heliosphere Forecasting Framework" by K.D. Leka et al.
• "Polarity-Resolved Magnetograms Derived from GONG Far-Side Helioseismic Maps for Space Weather Applications" by Hamada, A. et al.

More poster references will be added later. 

Solar Activity Report: April 20 -26, 2026

Solar activity ranged from very low to high levels during the reporting period. Activity was very low at the start of the week, with X‑ray flux in the mid‑B-class range, before increasing to the upper B‑class level accompanied by frequent low‑ to mid‑C‑class flares. By early April 23, activity rose sharply, producing four M‑class flares that day. Activity intensified further on April 24 with two X‑class flares (X2.5 and X2.4) and two additional M‑class flares. Finally, the solar activity subsided on April 25 and continued with the similar conditions on April 26, although the X‑ray flux remained in the C‑class range with a few M‑class events. These flares were associated with CMEs, however, none of which had Earth‑directed components.

GONG UD is back on-line

 GONG station in Udaipur, India is back to operations.  NISP team worked with the site support group in India to run series of tests, which identified a failed electronic board. The board was replaced by a spare, and the system's operability was restored. The images error was cleared, and the PM (preventive maintenance) flag is turned off.  H-alpha image of the Sun taken after the repairs is shown below.

 

Solar Activity Report: April 13 - 19, 2026

Solar activity remained at low levels during the reporting period. X‑ray flux was predominantly within the B‑class range, with only occasional short‑lived increases into the C‑class. Active region 14419 was the dominant contributor, responsible for five of the seven C‑class flares recorded, including the strongest event of the week, a C4.1 flare on April 17. Additional low‑level C‑class flares were observed on April 13, 16, 17, and 18, while the remainder of the week stayed within the B‑class range. A few CMEs were detected, none with Earth‑directed components.

GONG network status

As of 18 April: 

• The Learmonth instrument is operational, and the sky is clear. 
• The Udaipur instrument is operational, and the sky is clear. On April 19, the Camera Rotator stopped rotating. Local support team was requested to check if the Camera Rotator amplifier may have a blown fuse. The observations are taken, but the image orientation is not correct (see images below taken on 18 and 19 April). UPDATE: on 20 April, GONG/UD was put into PM mode (no observations are taken) while the team is resolving the issues with oscillations in the camera rotator and the turret. 
• In early April, the internet connectivity at Udaipur experienced some instability. This was traced to a piece of cable chewed by the panther. This piece of cable was now replaced.
• The El Teide instrument is operational, and the sky is mostly cloudy.
• The Cerro Tololo instrument is operational, and the sky is clear.
• The Big Bear instrument is operational, and the sky is partly cloudy.
• The Mauna Loa instrument is down.
• Two engineering sites in Boulder, Colorado (TC and TE) are down for testing.
  
  
   

Solar Activity Report: April 6 - 12, 2026

 Solar activity fluctuated from low to moderate and back to low levels during the week. Most flares were in the C‑class X‑ray range. The week began with only low‑level C‑class activity, followed by an increase to a C5.7 flare on April 7, a C8.9 flare on April 8, and an M1.0 flare on April 9. Activity then dropped sharply on April 10, with only B‑class X‑ray levels observed, and a single C1.9 flare on April 11. Conditions rose slightly on the final day of the week, producing several low C‑class flares, the strongest of which was C2.4. Overall, active region 14409 was the most productive region, generating 11 C‑class flares and one impulsive M‑class flare. No earth-directed CMEs were detected during this period.

Yuri's Night and the International Day of Human Space Flight

Today is the 65th anniversary of first human space flight. On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin orbited the Earth in the Vostok-1 spacecraft. Coincidentally, the first Space Shuttle mission was also launched on April 12, but in 1981, 20 years after the Gagarin's flight.

Space weather posed issues from the beginning of human space exploration resulting in failure of communication satellites due to radiation damage and electric discharges and loss of satellites due to enhanced atmospheric drag  (DOI: 10.1080/29979676.2024.2391688). GONG network provides critical observations for the operational space weather forecast issued by the NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) and the prediction centers in other countries. 

Image shows a series of postage stamps issued in 2011 by the United Nations to commemorate 50 years of manned spaceflight. From left to right are the stamp depicting Yuri Gagarin's launch, an American astronaut on a ladder descending to the Moon's surface, the International Space Station, the Space Shuttle, and Soviet Soyuz spacecraft on its way to docking in orbit with the American Apollo spacecraft.

In 2011, the United Nations General Assembly designated April 12 as the International Day of Human flight. Yuri's Night is celebrated internationally since 2001.