Posted on 10/11/2021 4:13:00 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
A massive solar flare is due to hit Earth today, authorities are warning - potentially disrupting power grids and bringing the Northern Lights as far south as New York.
The flare - officially known as a coronal mass ejection (CME) - was observed on Saturday on the side of the sun directly facing our planet and comes as we enter a period of increased solar activity.
An alert was published by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which warned the geomagnetic storm could cause power grid fluctuations with voltage alarms at higher latitudes, where the Earth is more exposed.
NOAA added that satellites may be impacted too and could exhibit "orientation irregularities" meaning ground control would have to redirect them, as well as anything in low-Earth orbit experiencing increased drag.
The geomagnetic storm could reach category G2, which is moderately strong according to the agency.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.sky.com ...
Never seen the Northern Lights before...or the Southern ones either. I’ll have my camera ready and hope for clear skies.
Good thing I have plenty of beer and cigars.
Wait till mr carrington eturns
Fishing in Canada one evening we ran our boat aground because we were looking up at the northern lights. We actually drove the boat through about 50 yards of reeds growing in the shallows before we got stuck in the muck.
Is this where they shut down the internet and blame it on that?
You will need to be very far north, usually above (or below I suppose) the 45th parallel, be situated in a place FAR AWAY from any light pollution whatsoever (including farm lights,) and you'll need a tripod on your camera with a long exposure if you hope to photograph it.
I have seen the northern lights from both northern Michigan and southern Idaho two or three times in my life, and each time they have been very dim to the naked eye.
You might have better luck closer to the Arctic Circle, I don't know.
I remember seeing the aurora borealis (as my Mother use to call it) in southern Ohio, in the early 50's.. But light pollution is so bad now we can hardly see the stars at all.. I haven't seen the Milky Way in years..
CQ CQ CQ! Hoping for some good radio propagation!
Just on the south side of 45 and during those rare times we dont have lake effect cloud cover I see them on a fairly regular basis.
I guess today isn’t a good day to give up smoking or drinking, or meth, or sniffing glue, or ....
If its not an X its not going to do anything.
ROFL!!! So well played!
# 2 on a scale of 5 is “Moderate”...
Yup. Solaham’s take...
A moderate (G2) geomagnetic storm watch will be in effect beginning Monday, October 11th when a coronal mass ejection (CME) observed on Saturday is expected to sweep past Earth. Aurora sky watchers should be alert within the next 48-72 hours. The CME was the result of an M1.6 solar flare around AR 2882, now directly facing Earth.
For all your solar weather news, see solarham...
I will never forget my trip to Fairbanks back in the winter of 1969. In the USAF, we were TDY for two weeks there. I enjoyed the time there. My crew chief spent the entire time drunk as a skunk.
On our last night there, we were preparing to leave. He, griping about how he hated the time there(he never left the base) and how he had not even seen the Northern Lights.
I simply said...”Well, look up.”
Above us the Northern Lights had been displaying it’s glory for the last two weeks, but he never even thought to simply look up.
Ooh, Northern lights as far south as NYC. Wonder what the losers will have to say about lights inna sky.
If only some would claim it is “climate change” — “Umm, so you think the sun is behind changes in earth’s climate? Let’s talk about that.”
Naah.
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