MIDDLE LATITUDE AURORAL ACTIVITY WARNING (Northern California to North Carolina)

Solar Terrestrial Dispatch ^ | December 13, 2006

[RightWhale]

One aurora I saw a few years back was like looking directly into a flower. I had visions of being irradiated, like 'this one is for you, special.' ZAP!

[HOTTIEBOY]

I am talking about Auroras.

[RightWhale]

They seem to be there most of the time. Sometimes they flare up and swirl around the sky, but usually it is a whitish, maybe slightly greenish general glow to the sky. The central path of auroras normally passes directly overhead.

[Vaquero]

ping

[RightWhale]

You get to see the ISS and the Space Shuttle sometimes down there. We have never seen either from this latitude.

[b4its2late]

Kewl. Time to crack open a Budwiser.

[NormsRevenge]

Should be a good light show for some,, we'll be under clouds. remember watching them as a kid back in Minnesota


Auroral Activity Extrapolated from NOAA POES
Space Environment Center (SEC) of NOAA
http://www.sec.noaa.gov/pmap/

[Calvin Locke]

Last few times I've seen them at ~44.5N latitude, they reminded me of rippling pleats, rather than waves or curtains.

[Westlander]

Advance member of the alien invasion.

[kalee]

ping

[3AngelaD]

That's exactly what I remember. Glad I am not losing it. It is one of those childhood experiences I carry with me always. It was magic.

[NormsRevenge]

I think I saw the ISS ,, not sure , and that from the Bay Area,, have rarely seen aurora here before

Northern Hemisphere View, Aurora Oval.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

We were in my Chevy. We got the Aurora later.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

"It is not true that seen one, seen 'em all."

You've got that right RightWhale.

Alaska's a good place to see them (as you'd know) -- so's Canada's far north. I've seen them thousands of times & they are always beautiful. During peak solar activity, they are truly awesome (as in "inspiring awe").

[Cold Heart]

We're having a combination with 100 MPH winds tonight.

[Deaf Smith]

Why is this a Warning if they tell y'all when to go outside to watch it?

[RightWhale]

I said that because I heard somebody once say 'seen one, seen 'em all,' and there are a lot of people who don't bother to go outside if somebody says there is a good aurora out. But, I am kind of an amateur astronomer and spend some time whenever possible just looking at stars even if they actually are about the same as they were last time.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Lots of Northern Lights videos on YouTube.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

After a while people take them for granted.

"You don't know what you've got
Till it's gone"

I liked stargazing too -- unfortunately I found that the best nights were also the coldest. (Not just because it's only dark in the winter -- duh. Winter skys in the north are incredibly clear, because they contain so little water vapour.)

[Deaf Smith]

Then what is the Moderate Risk & High Risk?

HIGH RISK PERIOD: 14 DECEMBER (UTC DAYS) MODERATE RISK PERIOD: