Northern Lights (aurora borealis)

At www.spaceweather.com they say:

CME IMPACT: A coronal mass ejection (CME) swept past Earth at approximately 1500 UT (8:00 a.m. PDT) on Oct. 24th and triggered a strong (Kp=7) geomagnetic storm. This ongoing storm will probably subside before nightfall over North America. Even so, skywatchers should remain alert for auroras because another CME is coming. It could reach Earth tonight or tomorrow and trigger a new round of storms.

auroras are possible tonight throughout the United States and much of Europe. A coronal mass ejection en route to Earth could trigger a strong geomagnetic storm. Sky watchers at high and middle latitudes should be alert for beautiful lights in the sky.

Heard that on the radio news this morning was going to post and ask if any one knew about the sun storm activity. Ya'll are way ahead of me. I remember seeing it when I was about 11 years old. Everyone thought the world was coming to an end. The sky was real light as best I remember. Sort of like big city lights but it being all in the sky. I better go look now.

That's it, Phil! I'm sweeping the leaves off the hood of the old Dodge Diplomat, and if we don't have a lot of cloud cover, I'll be able to watch the show. It's a bit nippy at night so bring a blanket with you. Anyone else coming?

Now you know I'll be stealing all those blankets don't ya Weeze? Got some real thin Southern blood here.

GRC, Glad you got to see them before--please post your whole story here! I don't think many believe they been seen all the way down here!

We'll be there in a jiffy Weeze, gotta brew the cocoa and I sent DH for a bottle of peppermint schnapps. We'll warm ourselves with a thermos of 'Alpines' while we watch the show.

I hope it's not cloudy at your house. We can't see anything from here. Cloudy, windy, cold, and spitting little baby snowflakes once in awhile.

OK Joan, I wanna know all about 'Alpines'--so cough it up.

Oh, North Dakota! My first husband and I spent a night at a pull-off in North Dakota back in 1973. I thought our little van was going to blow over in the wind! Yes, definitely bring extra blankets and the Schnapps!

Alpines are what we call hot cocoa with a shot of peppermint schnapps in it. Yummy! Warms you all the way to the toes.

Oooooh, can't wait to try it!
Maybe I won't need to hog all the blankies (;

For some awesome aurora borealis photographs check out
:http://www.iww.is/art/shs/pages/thumbs.html (haven't figured out how to post a link yet)

The first photo is a pattern I remember seeing as a child.

Summer 2001 I was fortunate enough to view a crown borealis. Never having seen one before I figured I was seeing reflection of the city lights off clouds, then realized there were no clouds. I watched it off and on for the 40 minute driving from Jackson to Lansing. It was one of those times when I knew that couldn't be what it was, and spent several hours in my backyard.

The entire sky, horizon to horizon, was pink. Then there would develop a 'hole' in the pink, a dark spot, directly overhead, and the color gradually disappeared. Then it started directly overhead again, a spot of pink, then bars of pink running from that spot overhead all the way to the horizon. In a few moments the entire sky was pink again, and it would start all over. I get goose bumps just thinking about it again. Thanks for the stroll down memory lane.



This message was edited Oct 25, 2003 1:04 AM

I looked out before I went to bed last night, but nothing :(

Keep those blankets warm Weez, I'll be there as soon as I can!! This all sounds fantastic - very goose bumpy indeed - and I can't wait to try the Alpines ;)

Torquay, try going to the site you want to link to. Once it's on your screen click the address to select it (it'll go darker colour). Then go to edit and click on copy.
Now go to the DG message you're writing that you'd like to put it into, go to edit and click on paste. Voila, there it should be :)
Good luck, I hope I've explained well enough...

I fell asleep at about 9pm! I didn't see a thing! Did anyone else see?

I went outside off and on till after 10 pm,and then it got cloudy.Didn't see anything.

I got up 4 times in the middle of the night and ran outside in my nightgown and looked, and waited, but no luck! but were there a zillion bright sparkly stars at about 4AM, gosh it was so pretty. I'm going to try again tonight, it has been a life-long dream to see these lights!

It was a big failure here. We've had overcast skies and rain since it got dark enough to see anything, if we could have seen anything. Good thing you hadn't paddled all the way across the pond yet, Phil.

Carena: If you keep running out at all hours in your nightie, the neighbors are going to watching you instead of the sky! LOL!

Only saw these once, by accident. The dog woke me up around 4 am on a sub-zero winter night. When I got outside, I saw waves of red and green lights dancing and flickering across the skies. It was a breath-taking display! Thanks for the links. I'd love to be able to see it again some day.

Darn, wouldn't you know they are predicting rain to come in tonite?
It's just NOT FAIR!



Latest Geomagnetic and Auroral Activity Conditions



Updated: 13:10 UTC 25 October (9:10 am EDT, 25 October):

The next CME disturbance is predicted to arrive sometime during the latter half of 25 October or the early half of 26 October (UTC time), with a preferred estimated arrival time near 02:00 UTC on 26 October (this is equivalent to 10 pm EDT on 25 October, or the evening of Saturday night for North America). There will be a chance for renewed storm activity and visible auroral activity over many middle latitude regions when this disturbance arrives. This is not a prediction that auroral activity WILL become visible. Rather, it is a notice that the potential for auroral activity becoming visible is higher than normal. A Middle Latitude Auroral Activity WATCH is active.

Solar Activity Update

Major solar flare activity is expected over the next 72 hours from Regions 486 and/or 484. Both of these spot complexes are still complex enough to support the production of very energetic solar activity

Have to be to work for 10 pm, so maybe I'll catch a glimpse, but the skies will probably be clouded over. I miss a lot of good stuff because of this.

I do hope you all have better luck with the weather soon.
I'm looking out my waders Weez :)

I wonder if there is a listing of the one I am talking about. It would have been somewhere around 1950? I'll see if I can find a listing later. I know it was in the news then.

Yes, waders are in order, Phil...maybe even a small rubber raft. Maybe we should forgo the Alpines & just go for brandy with a water back... you bring the brandy...I've got the water.

Lucky Ponditis! So glad you have a clear sky.

I also looked at the sky last night and I was rewarded with a meteor shower that traveled South to North right over my head. That was the first time that I can remember seeing one going South to North as I have always seen them East to West and a few going West to East.

I am going out tonight to watch again. Clear sky here.

Good luck Pond, I missed seeing meteor showers this year - usually spot them in august, but only saw the odd singleton.

I'll bring the sloe vodka and sloe brandy I made last year too Weez :)

Tonite's the Nite!

Entire message:

A major solar event occurred at 1102 GMT on Oct 28th, facing the
Earth. It was three hours long and left the sun at 1200 to 2000 km
per second. The shock should arrive at Earth as early as the
afternoon of the 29th in Europe (4 PM GMT)and as late as 2 AM GMT on
the 30th.

Europeans will be able to see the aurora probably as far south as
Southern France, since it should be over Paris by midnight.

It will be night in Australia and New Zealand if it arrives at 1100
GMT. This flare is probably large enough to approach mainland
Australia and be visible from the North Island in New Zealand, so it
may be worth staying up to see.

Russia, north of 50 deg latitude will be well placed on the night of
the 29/30 to see the aurora from this flare.

Observers in the USA should not be discouraged that it will arrive
during the day of the 29th. This flare is of a magnitude that should
lead to aurora visible over the entire continental US on the evening
of the 29th. It may be on the northern horizon for those in Florida,
Texas, and Southern California, but it should be visible.

The best viewing is from a dark area, even your back yard, with a
view to the northern horizon. Look out at the sky every half hour.
Typically, an intensification occurs every two hours, lasting about
1/2 hour. The maximum activity is usually around 11pm to midnight.



Prediction by [Chuck Deehr]
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Thanks so much viola. I shall be watching out. Unfortunately it's overcast here at the moment, but I'm hoping there will be at least something to see. I have to go down my garden to see to the north, so I hope it's not too cold tonight!

A local weatherman said the Northern Lights were visible here (Columbus, Ohio) between 3 and 5am and they were spectacular. My brother flew from Denver to Columbus early this morning and watched them for about 2 1/2 hours. He said they were red and green curtains. I can't believe I missed them! I will be up tonight looking, that's for sure.

I'll be looking!

Cloudy, overcast and snowing here. I don't think I'll see anything. :(

One more tip from Root's site--it'really not too confusing.
It's looking good for a view in GA--clear skies too!

http://www.sec.noaa.gov/Aurora/index.html

http://www.sec.noaa.gov/Aurora/globeNW.html

Just came in from outside.......they are going crazy here in Western PA and it's only 9:30!

Way too cloudy here to see them! I keep hoping the rain will break, but looks like it's not going to happen. Clouds, clouds and more clouds... I won't complain though, because I know that folks in California would give anything for the days of rain we have had here. I wish I could send them some of our rain......but I am sending my thoughts and prayers.

What,Root put up a not too confusing site?LOL!Wishing this country boy was not in the heart of a city!GO LOOK FOR ME!

We were overcast here.

Raining here :(

Clear and cold here. Keep checking and so far I havn't seen anything.

No show last night, and tonight it's overcast and raining. Here's an article from The Anchorage Daily News: http://www.msnbc.com/local/ktuu/m335466.asp

Yes, such a shame about the clouds Weez, thanks for the article. It sounds as if we should even be able to see the aurora here if only visibility was better :(
I shall keep looking, just in case. To see it has been one of my ambitions in life....

No snow yet Weeze? We've gotten somewhere around 5 inches this week.

No snow yet, Joan. We should have been seeing some flurries before now, and real snow anytime. However, it's still pretty balmy out there. I'd like a really enduring hard freeze before I mulch my beds so the little voles don't set up camp all winter.

Phil, I've seen some lovely night skies over the years, and ordinarily the best shows are on the cold crisp nights. I can recall dancing around from foot to foot, my hands in my armpits, trying to stay warm in my nightgown, afraid I'd miss something if I went back inside to warm up. It's considered quite special to see the red colors.