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Posts Tagged ‘Geomagnetic storm’

Ephemeris: 05/14/2024 – Last Friday’s geomagnetic storm

May 14, 2024 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Tuesday, May 14th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 48 minutes, setting at 9:03, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:13. The Moon, 1 day before first quarter, will set at 3:08 tomorrow morning.

Last Friday night’s displays of the Northern Lights were seen as far as the Caribbean, making the greatest what is called a geomagnetic storm of the last 20 years, and up there with the greatest storms ever recorded. Last Wednesday there was an immense solar flare coming from a large sunspot group on the Sun. That group was large enough to be able to be seen with eclipse glasses. So you might want to keep those eclipse glasses handy, and check out the Sun every once in a while. Only the largest sunspot groups will be visible. The flare causes the ejection of the part of the Sun’s corona, what astronomers call the coronal mass ejection or CME for short. These charged particles were intercepted by the Earth’s magnetic field and caused the aurora we saw.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT–4 hours). They may be different for your location.

Addendum

The eruption of a CME, on May 8 that caused the aurora on the 10th recorded by the C3 coronagraph on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
The eruption of a CME, on May 8 that caused the aurora on the 10th recorded by the C3 coronagraph on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) satellite in halo orbit of the Earth-Sun L1 point, a million miles sunward of the Earth. A coronagraph produces an artificial total solar eclipse using a disk in place of the moon to block the bright disk of the Sun. The two bright stars are the planets Jupiter on the left and Venus on the right. They will both cross behind the Sun with Jupiter leaving the evening sky and entering the morning sky and Venus leaving the morning sky and entering the evening sky. Credit: ESA. NASA.

Categories: Ephemeris Program, The Sun Tags: , , , ,

Ephemeris Extra; 5/11/2024, 9 PM EDT Aurora alert for the 13th

May 11, 2024 Comments off

Last night in our area there was an incredibly bright display of the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis. It was cloudy where I was, although my granddaughter was able to get photographs of it with her smartphone. That was the result of an X type flare on the Sun on the 8th resulting in a coronal mass ejection or CME, which arrived here on Earth two days later.

Earlier today there was another X type flare on the Sun. So we expect on Monday the 13th to have another possibility of seeing an aurora. Auroras occur during geomagnetic storms caused by the Earth being intercepted by one of these CME’s. Check spaceweather.com for any news of auroras and check the Current Auroral Oval image. Click on it to get the forecast of the possibility of seeing an aurora in your area. It is from the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center. If the oval covers your location, and it’s night, or is close, check the sky.

Aurora image by Nicole Farrell
One of the images Nicole Farrell sent me via Messenger. The actual image is much sharper.
Categories: Ephemeris Extra Tags: , ,

09/07/2017 – Ephemeris Extra – The Earth is currently under a G4 Geomagnetic Storm – Aurora’s may be visible

September 7, 2017 1 comment

Aurora Alert

At this time (0300 UT  September 8, 2017) the Earth is experiencing a strong geomagnetic storm see Spaceweather.com.

Also check out the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center.  Check the Aurora Forecast.

Categories: Aurorae, Ephemeris Extra Tags:

Extra: 03/17/2015 – A geomagnetic storm is raging now

March 17, 2015 Comments off

Looks like we’re in for aurorae A.K.A. northern lights tonight.  There were displays of the aurora this morning over the northern tier of states according to spaceweather.com.  It still could be going on tonight.

Tip ‘o the old observers cap to Don Flegel and Spaceweather.com.

 

Categories: Aurorae Tags: ,