Posted on 10/24/2003 12:20:34 PM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
An unusually active Sun has professional astronomers amazed while amateurs revel in backyard sightings of two Jupiter-sized sunspots. Meanwhile, a heavy dose of space weather buffeted Earth just before Noon ET today, and another storm is on the way.
Forecasters said the stormy weather could disrupt satellite communications and poses a threat to power grids on Earth.
The active Sun also presents a nice opportunity for anyone to view sunspots, though safe viewing techniques must be employed to prevent eye damage.
The first storm of charged particles was unleashed by a dark region on the solar surface called Sunspot 484. The huge spot, about the size of Jupiter's surface, has been growing for several days and has rotated into a position that now points squarely at Earth.
Another giant sunspot is brewing and more storms could be generated.
"Astronomers can't remember the last time this happened: two Jupiter-sized sunspots crossing the face of the Sun at the same time," according to the NASA-run web site Spaceweather.com.
Sunspots are cooler regions of the Sun where magnetic energy wells up, often prior to eruptions.
It is easy to see sunspots from home with proper, safe viewing techniques. Astronomers suggest projecting the Sun's image through binoculars onto a white surface, like paper. Never look directly at the Sun, however, not with the naked eye or through binoculars or telescopes; serious eye damage will result.
Stormy week
Sunspot 484 let lose a storm of energetic particles, known as a coronal mass ejection at 3 a.m. ET Wednesday, according to forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The expanding cloud arrived midday Friday, robbing most skywatchers of the chance to see colorful aurora, or Northern Lights, which are typically seen only at night.
Forecasters said the second sunspot, number 486, is about to rotate into an effective position on the Sun's surface. Combined, the two sunspots could produce additional stormy weather over the next couple of weeks.
Already on Thursday, number 486 caused a major flare of its own, one that could generate some space weather Earth even though it wasn't pointed directly at us. That glancing blow will arrive late Friday or early Saturday. Aurora could be visible into the northern U.S. states and much of northern Europe. The extent of the phenomenon won't be known until it happens.
Meanwhile, a continuing "coronal hole" is already providing aurora farther north, in places like Alaska and northern Canada.
Overall, any overnight viewing opportunities could prove fruitful through the weekend. Dark skies away from city lights, with a clear view of the northern horizon, offer the best chance of success.
Odd timing
The stormy space weather comes as the Sun is actually in a declining mode of activity. An 11-year solar cycle peaked during 2001 and 2002. Sunspots are fewer now and activity will ramp down during the next three to four years. But, scientists say, isolated severe space weather can occur at any time.
"Its somewhat unusual to have this much activity when were approximately three-and-a-half years past solar maximum," said Larry Combs, a forecaster with the NOAA Space Environment Centers Space Weather Operations. "In fact, just last week, solar activity was very low with an almost spotless Sun."
Space weather has hampered satellite communications before.
In 1997, an AT&T Telestar 401 satellite used to broadcast television shows from networks to local affiliates was knocked out during a solar storm. In May 1998 a space storm disabled PanAmSat's Galaxy IV, used for automated teller machines and airline tracking services, among other things. Another storm in July 2000 put several satellites temporarily out of contact and caused navigation problems in others.
Warning of impending storms allows satellite operators to reduce the risk of damage to some satellites by shutting down electronics.
Even cell phones can act up during solar storms, causing dropped calls.
In 1989, a solar storm tripped protective switches in Canadian Hydro-Qubec power company. All of Qubec lost power for nine hours. The problem nearly spread to the United States through an interconnected grid. Power companies have since developed programs to safeguard their systems, but experts say they remain at risk.
· Live Sun Cam
· Space Weather 101
· Aurora from the Space Station
· Vote for Your Favorite Sun Image
A Remarkable Auroral Display in September, 2002 *** "The aurora of the evening of Sept. 3, 2002 was very beautiful to observe, and covered a large part of the sky, even going overhead and to the south at times," said photographer Lyndon Anderson of Bismarck, North Dakota. This photo looks to the northwest. Lights on the horizon are from Washburn, ND. Look close and you can see the Big Dipper's stars.
…….. "Just past sunset, the sky over Tomahawk, Wisconsin became vibrantly alive with an absolutely stunning Auroral display," said photographer Carol Lakomiak. "In contrast to the still-blue twilight, patches of crimson appeared as I took this 15 second exposure. ***
You've out done me! HA!
The Sun's energy comes from thermonuclear reactions (converting hydrogen to helium) in the core, where temperatures range from 15 to 25 million degrees. The energy radiates through the middle layer, then bubbles and boils to the surface in a process called convection. Charged particles, called the solar wind, stream out at a million miles an hour.
Northern Lights
So does this mean that our weather will start getting cooler now? And the enviro-wacks will start campaigning for more carbon dioxide to counter Global Cooling and the Next Ice Age?
Solar Storm Barrels Toward Earth By ROBERT WELLER, Associated Press Writer [Full Text] DENVER - A geomagnetic storm spawned by a giant eruption of gas on the sun barreled toward Earth on Friday, interfering with high frequency airline communications but causing no major problems, federal officials said.
The storm was expected to be most severe Friday, though experts said they didn't anticipate problems with communication networks.
"This is not a super solar storm," said Larry Combs, a space weather forecaster with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Environment Center in Boulder.
So far, the storm has interfered with airline communications and radio communications for teams on Mount Everest, Combs said. But problems were not widespread.
The storm, called a "coronal mass ejection," is a mass of solar gas that swept toward Earth at 2 million mph. The usual cycle for such a storm is every 11 years; this one was expected to hit three years ago.
"It is kind of like a snowstorm in June in Colorado," Combs said.
Combs said power companies, which are among the center's best customers, have been notified and were taking precautions to avoid voltage problems and blackouts.
"We will be watching our transmission system very closely 24 hours a day," said Steve Roalstead, spokesman for Xcel Energy, a major Western power provider.
Satellites also are at risk during such storms but cell phones aren't likely to be affected unless they rely on satellites, Combs said.
"Satellites are built to live out there, but an accumulation of hits can cause problems," he said.
Operators can shut them down and put them in what is called a stow position until storms pass. They may need to be boosted back up to their correct altitudes after the storm.
Much like predicting a hurricane, forecasting the impact of a geomagnetic storm is difficult.
"It could just strike a glancing blow or hit head on," Combs said. [End]
Solar ALERT: Large CME at 3 AM EDT: possiblepower, communications disruptions October 24
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