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Ephemeris: 05/20/2024 – Sunspots
This is Ephemeris for Monday, May 20th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 1 minute, setting at 9:10, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:07. The Moon, 3 days before full, will set at 4:52 tomorrow morning.
As can be seen with the northern light display more than a week ago that the Sun is becoming more active. It’s because particles, mostly protons, from the Sun in the form of the solar wind and enhancements in the solar wind called coronal mass ejections, tangle with the Earth’s magnetic field and stream through the upper atmosphere. The activity on the Sun is signaled by the ebb and flow of the number of dark spots called sunspots. Individual sunspots or sunspot groups only last for, maybe, a couple of weeks. They’re caused by the magnetic fields being generated in the Sun causing the gas to cool a bit and making them darker. Sunspot numbers ebb flow in a period of about 11 years, called a sunspot cycle. This sunspot cycle is reaching a higher peak than expected.
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
Ephemeris: 05/14/2024 – Last Friday’s geomagnetic storm
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
Ephemeris Extra; 5/11/2024, 9 PM EDT Aurora alert for the 13th
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.
Extra: 03/17/2015 – A geomagnetic storm is raging now
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.
There’s an auroral glow in the north at 10:41 p.m. April 23, 2012
I’m near 45 degrees north latitude. spaceweather.com issued an email earlier in the evening that there was a minor geomagnetic storm in progress, and that there will be a possibility of an aurora. Yes there is a glow in the north that needs checking over this evening for possible outbursts.
Good possibility of seeing northern lights tonight
We’ve got a full moon tonight, so that will affect visibility somewhat. But what we really need is clear skies!
Check out http://www.spaceweather.com for more information.
Look for an aurora tonight
On Thursday the 19th a CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) erupted from the sun headed earthward. Generally these things take about 2 days give or take to get to the earth. When they do they tangle with the earth’s magnetic field and cause huge currents to flow toward the earth’s magnetic poles causing among other things the aurora or northern and southern lights.
So check the skies tonight, especially northward if you are in the northern hemisphere or southward if you’re in the southern.
The higher your latitude the better your chances of seeing it. But who knows. Check out http://spaceweather.com/.
11/28/11 – Ephemeris – There may be an aurora tonight
Monday, November 28th. The sun will rise at 7:55. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 9 minutes, setting at 5:05. The moon, 3 days past new, will set at 8:53 this evening.
Last Saturday afternoon the sun let loose with an explosion that is sending a cloud of particles toward the earth. It was called a Coronal Mass Ejection or CME for short. As usual for these things, it takes about 48 hours give or take for the cloud of particles to reach the earth. The expected arrival time for the cloud is about noon, give or take 7 hours. If the cloud is a bit late we could get a display of the northern lights or aurora borealis. The sun is getting more active now after a prolonged minimum that lasted over 2 years. The sun is ramping up for a peak in sun spot numbers possibly in 2013. Although the numbers of aurorae occur mostly after peak, so we’re just starting our auroral season, so there will be more opportunities to come.
* Times, as always are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan.
09/26/11 – Ephemeris – The sun is getting very active again
Monday, September 26th. The sun will rise at 7:34. It’ll be up for 11 hours and 58 minutes, setting at 7:32. The moon, 1 day before new, will rise at 7:53 tomorrow morning.
There is a large sunspot group rotating onto the earth facing side of the sun. It has already produced two large solar flares. Flares are explosions caused by the snapping of the magnetic field lines that cause the sunspots in the first place. The most energetic of these throw off a huge cloud of charged particles, protons, electrons, and alpha particles called a coronal mass ejection or CME at a couple of million miles an hour. It takes 36 to 48 hours for the cloud to reach the earth. Then it tangles with the earth’s magnetic field causing a geomagnetic storm. This is not good news for satellite operators and power and phone companies in the north. However for the rest of us, we get a chance to see the northern lights or Aurora Borealis. Saturday’s two flares from that sunspot group sent out a CME that we may catch the tail of later today.
* Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
A preview of the coming northern lights season*
Here’s a link to the mlive.com web site for an article on how great northern Michigan is to view the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis. Here’s the link to Best northern lights viewing in Michigan by Kim Schneider.
An auroral display. Credit Bob Moler.
* The “aurora season” or “northern lights season” coincides with the coming solar or sunspot peak which is expected to occur in 2013, and last several years.
Tip o’the dew cap to Pat Stinson.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 