Northern Lights
 

Just a heads up to a potential aurora borealis tonight, tomorrow and/or Thursday thanks to a couple billion tons of plasma headed this way from our good friend the sun.

Solar Flare ramblings...
 

There could also be some temporary interuptions to satellite service which could affect your satellite tv reception. Depending on its final strength on arrival these flares can also temporarily interrupt most means of electronic communications, especially two way radio traffic in various bands.

And an extreme flare can also induce current into the electrical grid and cause localized or widespread power outages, although this flare is predicted to be too mild for that.

We have been in a lull with the sun for over a decade now. Solar activity usually cycles about every 11 years, and we are past that in the lull mode, with signs that the sun is starting to wake up from its slumber.

Any CBers out there? When we are in an inactive stage, range is limited locally. But when the sun becomes active we enter the realm that 4 watts can reach easily half way around the world, better known as "shooting skip". We appear to be heading back to such a cycle.

Finally, for you weather buffs an increase in solar energy output is believed to have a definite impact on weather patterns. Some believe the quiet solar activity we have experienced the last decade had more effect on the atmosphere than so called global warming!

Anyways, a busy sun can mean exciting things down here on earth, with the northern lights making a much more southerly appearance on of the more brilliant aspects of this particular flare!

For more info, and an amazing video, click here: http://spaceweather.com/

great site
 

Thanks for the link, I lost that site when my computer crashed.We'll be keeping a night eye to the sky!:)

Here's another link to the Aurora forecast: http://www.softservenews.com/Aurora.htm

Now I think I'll map out a nice elevated location where there's very little ambient light, and head out after dark... :D

Spectacular show
 

Should be wonderful lights tonight. But please remember it is part of a natural cycle of the sun's activity, as Skip said. Not a 2012 Aztec pre-event.:laugh:

Abenaki Tower?:D

Northern Lights. Make sure you have a northerly view.

Not to be a debbie downer, but the only reason this is getting so much news coverage is because solar activity has been so low lately.

The CME arrived earlier this afternoon and was weak. It barely lead to even a minor geomagnetic storm (kp 5), and has since dropped off to a dismal kp of 2, which won't give you an impressive show even if you're in Alaska.

There might be a second CME enroute that packs a bigger punch, but if not, this is a total non-event for anywhere in the US.

Scott is the Aurora Guru!
 

Scott, I've been waiting for you to chime in! :D Any chance that the forecast looks any better now? I've been trying to make sense of the charts here: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/pmap/pmapN.html but not really understanding it. I'll go with your professional opinion...

During the extreme activity from 2000 through 2004, I looked at that particular chart often and quickly learned that it's great eye candy, but isn't helpful. :laugh:

This is the image you need. In the first plot, you want white line to be nice and high, at least 20 or so. The red line is perhaps the most important. It needs to be solidly in negative territory, the longer and lower it goes, the better. If it's in positive territory, nothing will happen. Ideally, you want the orange line to be at least 10. The yellow line is the solar windspeed, which you can use to easily see when the blast arrives. Faster is always better, I like to see >700 before I get excited.

http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ace/Mag_swe_24h.gif

As it stands now, not much is going to happen. :(

Phoey!
 

Dagnabit!!! I was so hoping. :(

Thanks for the awesome info, though, Scott! I knew you'd be here to guide if it was gonna happen.

Next time...

I've been in and out for a couple of hours. I don't have the best view at home but I see something like a dim heat lightning. I'm wondering wether this is the AB. Any thoughts out there? Thanks!

I see it too. A quick check of radar shows it's just distant lightning from a cluster of fairly mean thunderstorms moving over the white mountains right now.

JP, if you'd like to have a good idea of what the aurora can look like around the lake, go to the photopost section, click on search, and type in Northern Lights. Some of our members have managed to capture some stunning images! :D

I see the lightning up north as well. I wish it were down here, since we're not gonna see the aurora... :(

I guess I knew that all along. Not having too much experience with the Northern Lights I just wasn't sure. I saw them in 2002 or 03 when I was attending SOLO up in Conway. Any thoughts on tomorrow night.

This is sorta cool isn't it?

Thanks for your replies.

It is WAY cool! :D

And for what it's worth, I'm banking on seeing some tomorrow night. I'll be driving home from North Conway somewhere close to midnight, and looking forward to pulling over a few times to check out the night sky behind me.

Uhhhh Pepper...
 

...just make sure you watch out for those really big 4 legged Aurora watchers too :eek: :laugh:.

Some of those areas on Rte 25 where there is not much light pollution could be a good place to get out and stretch...and look skyward!

Have continued safe rides back and forth to N. C. .:)

Pepper said;
"And for what it's worth, I'm banking on seeing some tomorrow night. I'll be driving home from North Conway somewhere close to midnight, and looking forward to pulling over a few times to check out the night sky behind me."

Last time I saw them was at the little bridge at the south end of Chocurua Lake in Tamworth. Great clear view across the lake looking north with Mount Chocurua in the distance.