Posted on 09/10/2005 5:24:51 PM PDT by NRA2BFree
Solar activity remains very high and shows no signs of abating. Sunspot 798/808 has unleashed seven X-class solar flares since Sept. 7th. Forecasters say there's a 75% chance of more X-flares during the next 24 hours, possibly causing radio blackouts and radiation storms.
Coronal mass ejections hurled into space by these explosions could hit Earth's magnetic field in the days ahead. Sky watchers, particularly in northern places like Canada and Alaska, should remain alert for auroras. The best time to look is local midnight. The sun's 27-day rotation is slowly turning sunspot 798 to face Earth. Explosions in the coming week will be increasingly Earth-directed, raising the possibility of geomagnetic storms and auroras over the continental United States, Europe and Australia.
In the last 5 years or so Aurora have been visible in Southern California and Texas on 2-3 occasions, I think.
Anyway, if I get a Low-latitude Aurora Alert from Solar-Terrestrial Dispatch I'll repost it on FR.
Otherwise I wouldn't recommend people south of the Northern tier of states just sort of randomly wait outside for Auroras; Auroras over the middle or southern parts of the US are rare but reasonably predictable and you should have a day or 2 of warning and a rough guestimate of when to look.
I know they've had them in AZ before because I saw some pictures. They weren't as intense, but the sky over the desert is so bright that it could have taken away from them. If we've ever had them in NM, I've never heard about it.
I saw some ball lighting - or a UFO - once, and that was fascinating.
Wow. I bet the 911 lines were ringing off the wall. A few nights ago there was a long series of lights that appeared on top of the Sandia Mountains by Albuquerque. They were captured by many on their camcorders and they showed them on TV. No one knows what they were. They appeared to have stretched out over several miles.
I already called. Mike Brown told me to call Oprah.
They were gonna make an announcement last night but it got too late, I have seen them before, it is a definite sight to see. Thanks!
It's pouring in Juneau right now.. but we have 5 days to go .
Let's sue McDonalds!
I thought the 11-year cycle was supposed to end about 6 years ago. This cycle is much longer than expected. So there is no telling HOW MUCH LONGER this cycle will last.
That sounds like those lights seen several years ago in AZ. I sure wish we could see an aurora down here in S. Florida. And speaking of beautiful things seen in the night sky, several years ago on a trip to Steamboat Springs, in the middle of nowhere we saw a lunar rainbow. It was incredibly beautiful. It looked like a pure white rainbow of light arching over the highway. I had no idea such a thing existed, but looked on the internet when we got back, and indeed they do.
susie
I'm in northern Colorado, about 70 miles north of Denver. We can see the northern lights right now. Not too spectacular, just what looks like the lights of a city on the horizon, except they are light green and there is no big city in that direction.
They fade in and out and move across the horizon like low clouds. Cool!
Of course he did. She's going to take his place. LOL Wouldn't we be surprised if that happened. I just saw her on TV tonight and she's really packed on the pounds again.
Thanks. I took a short drive to where it was dark on Lake Erie and didn't see anything. I'll take a quick look now.
The closest thing we get in Nashville is on CMT when when the pants start dropping.
I found my watch in the last place I looked for it.
When attack!!!!
They fade in and out and move across the horizon like low clouds. Cool!
Awesome! I live in the north western part of NM and I can't see over the Rockies. :o) I would love to see them some time.
My brother used to live in Fort Collins for several years. It's sure beautiful up there.
How do we know what is happening on the side of the sun we don't see? Might it be hopping with spots while our side is quiescent, and visa versa?
The sun isn't like the moon; it rotates once a month, thus we see spots rotating around.
Also, amazingly enough, you can actually see spots on the side of the sun AWAY from us through something called "Helioseismic Holography."
http://spaceweather.com/glossary/farside.html
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