Epic Geomagnetic Storm Erupts 80
astroengine writes "On Monday, at around 2 p.m. ET, a coronal mass ejection (CME) slammed into the Earth's magnetosphere. For a short time (between 3:06 p.m and 3:11 p.m. ET), energetic solar wind particles penetrated as deep as geosynchronous orbit — home to hundreds of communication satellites. As a consequence, a geomagnetic storm is underway, generating bright aurorae across very low latitudes."
Adds reader dtmos, quoting from Spaceweather, which also has a beautiful photo gallery: "'The impact strongly compressed Earth's magnetic field, directly exposing geosynchronous satellites to solar wind plasma, and sparked an intense geomagnetic storm. As night fell over North America, auroras spilled across the Canadian border into the contiguous United States.' Aurora were seen as far south as Baileyton, Alabama."
A little late (Score:5, Insightful)
If this had been posted YESTERDAY some of us might have gotten up early to see those Aurorae
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
Anyone know of an Android App that will give Aurora alerts similar to how weather apps give alerts for thunderstorms/frost/etc? This is the 3rd Aurora in like 2 months up here in Alberta and it would be awesome to get warnings.
Re:A little late (Score:4, Informative)
I don't know of an app, but this website offers alerts via twitter than can also go to your mobile. It's only for the UK so possibly not helpful for you in Alberta, but putting on here in case it's useful for UK readers.
http://aurorawatch.lancs.ac.uk/alerts
There's an app -- 3D Sun (Score:2)
The free NASA "3D Sun" iphone app will give notices of CMEs if you allow it:
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/17feb_3dsun/ [nasa.gov]
There are a few Android apps that get SDO and other space weather data, but I don't know which ones of those will generate alerts rather than you have to go and actively look at them.
(disclaimer : I work for the Solar Data Analysis Center)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Aurora conditions / warnings (Score:2)
http://fyngyrz.com/?page_id=748 [fyngyrz.com]
Re: (Score:2)
Also: My aurora shots [flickr.com]
Aurora alerts in alberta (Score:1)
University of Alberta aurora watch service:
http://corona-gw.phys.ualberta.ca/AuroraWatch/ [ualberta.ca]
Re: (Score:3)
If you're interested in catching the Aurora, there are several online resources that can alert you in various ways when conditions are favorable. The best one I know of is SpaceWeather.com, though they charge for the alerting service. I'm just on their free mailing list and they sent me an email yesterday at about 4:30 pm with a warning that a large CME had struck the earth yesterday morning and to be alert for aurora that evening. T
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
If you cared, you would be getting a news feed from the proper space agency, not relying on /.
Re: (Score:2)
Yesterday's News for Nerds. Stuff That Mattered.
Wahaha! (Score:1)
We won't get to read about a truly "epic" CME (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
3 billion pounds of material traveling at 2000 miles/sec and blasting entire planets isn't epic for you ? You have a pretty high standard for epic.
Correct. We do have a high standard of 'epic'. 3 billion pounds of material travelling at 2000 miles/sec is large, but it's not massively unusual and therefore not epic. Unfortunately you, and the mass media don't, so epic is being used whenever anyone gets slightly excited about anything these days. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/epic [thefreedictionary.com]
Re: (Score:2)
Lighting up the planets northern hemisphere isn't impressive ? or majestic ?
The word you are looking for to describe a very very rare coronal mass ejection hitting the earth isn't epic its cataclysmic.
Re: (Score:2)
Lighting up the planets northern hemisphere isn't impressive ? or majestic ?
So by your definition, all auroras are epic? This was a big aurora - no argument. But it's not as 'impressively great' as to be called 'epic' because auroras like this happen once every year-or-so (more now that we are approaching a solar maximum). If it was the biggest, most impressive aurora in about 50 years then maybe it could be described as epic, but it wasn't - in fact, there was one just a month ago: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2042428/Best-auroras-seen-Britain-thanks-huge-solar-f [dailymail.co.uk]
Re: (Score:3)
http://www.spaceweather.com/aurora/gallery.html:
2000: the most powerful geomagnetic storm since 1989 sparked Northern Lights as far south as Florida
2001: There are many dates when Northern Lights were sighted as far south as Texas, Florida, Arizona--even Mexico
2002: Another date of note: April 19 when Northern Lights descended as far south as California
2003: Auroras appeared in Florida, Texas, Australia and many other places where they are seldom seen
2004: Northern Lights descended as far south as Calif
Re: (Score:2)
Not really, no. It's a regular event. uncommon size would be better... but even that's a stretch.
The fact that you aren't aware of the science doesn't mean the event is epic.
And yu can be ipc, AND cataclysmic...but you can be epic and not cataclysmic as well. There TWO different things.
This post?now THAT'S epic.
Re: (Score:2)
True, but it's fine here on Slashdot.
Re:We won't get to read about a truly "epic" CME (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/epic [reference.com]
Looks like (3) and (4) fit just fine for the event. It shouldn't be used by the news because they will start everything they broadcast/publish at the "epic" mark. Wait, they already do. :)
The one night i am not driving around till 7am. (Score:1)
and this happens. i live in Alabama and seeing this has always been a dream of mine. Had this only been posted 6 or 7 hours ago.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, but isn't it in PAL over there?
Re: (Score:2)
NTSC is better, since it means "never twice same color".
Novelty is awesome! Or epic.
Was not is (Score:2)
a geomagnetic storm is underway
"was" not "is"
I was hoping to do some ham radio work on the 6 meter band using that, but I'm way too late, or so I'm told.
Re: (Score:1)
I've never worked auroral propagation but have read that it sounds like being underwater. On a side note, I didn't notice any disturbance in the force yesterday. Activity did seem to be down from the weekend but I still managed to work T32C again (CW and RTTY) and picked up TX7M (RTTY). Come on Sol, get busier!
First time northern lights viewer here.... (Score:3)
I live in a rural area with little light pollution and where I can clearly see the milky way - and it was quite a sight. All I'll say is that when you see it the first time, unprepared as I was, it can be disconcerting and even alarming. You know something powerfully primitive is occurring, not normal; I imagine like an animal responding to a forest fire.
Re: (Score:3)
I think, by mentioning the Milky Way, (s)he was trying to emphasize how clear the viewing conditions normally are where (s)he lives; and that therefore the aurora was extremely vivid, given the lack of light pollution and whatnot.
Re: (Score:2)
I'm surprised that he was unable to read awfar's post that way. It seems pretty flippin' obvious. It is amazing how quickly people are able to set aside their own intelligence when the opportunity arises to insult another's.
TV Reception (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
If those stations were on VHF, the aurora might have had something to do with it; however, if they're on UHF, it had nothing to do with it and it was most likely tropospheric ducting, which is common in the Midwest.
I saw this last night (Score:1)
I guess this explains what I saw last night in SE Virginia. I happened to walk outside and look to the north and the sky was all red. It was very strange, glowing red. One of my neighbors was outside and I asked him if he saw it too, he did. Got my wife and kids out, they didn't last real long, there were streaks of dark that looked almost like straight lines running 'down' reddened sky. It was very odd, kinda creepy looking, and then a "shooting star", pretty long lasting one happened to streak down t
Re: (Score:2)
Now that's funny, I did not see any colors, but while talking with my cousin @ 7:30 PM I looked up and saw a object streak across the sky with a long trail behind it (I live north east of Atlanta, GA). He joked that it was the German satellite though I though it had crashed by now. My thought was alien invasion and finally, we have something to take our minds off the drivel coming from Washington on how they will make our lives better. Nothing like aliens to shake up the status quo.
So reality may be more
Re: (Score:2)
Kinda funny. I was up in far north canada up until about 2 days ago, I got in around 10pm last night in Ontario, after an 11hr drive. Didn't see squat. While up north people said they saw them occasionally, but nope not while I was there. Not when I got back. Most of the time though, it's either raining or cloudy here when they're up. Ah well maybe there will be slim chance of seeing something tonight but I'm not holding my breath. Good thin I'm heading back up to the far northern wasteland for 10 we
If you think the auroras were bad... (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
If alien ever do arrive, I hope they land. If so, the likelihood they are hostile diminishes greatly.
Wow - Aurora in Central Carolina!!! (Score:2)
Yesterday was the opening of the Mid-Atlantic Star Party near Robbins, NC.
While we were getting gear set up yesterday afternoon someone had a C-11 with a white light filter and a Solarmax 60 riding piggy back.
Both showed a TON of activity on the sun - filaments, sun spots, and some huge prominences. Little did we know we would get a solar show after dark!
About 9:30 PM EDT the transparency was good but seeing was still soft. When we wondered who threw on a big light to the north of the field - all of a sud
Re: (Score:2)
As someone who missed the show - thanks for the story.
Which is why fiber is a Good Thing. (Score:2)
Seriously, the telecomms are sloooowly moving on fiber-optic lines. Should have been serious starts on that years ago as a backup to satellites at the very least. One super-epic flare and kiss those satellites good bye, no matter how hardened they are, and they will take months if not years to completely replace. What do you do in the meantime? Oops?
On the plus side, though, all the spy sats in the world would also be fried. Always a silver lining....
Re: (Score:2)
Super-epic flare? What are you, a 11 year old child? How about you look at what we know,as well as what the super - epic* CME would so to the earth.
Ah, it was an unthinking rant to put in a jab about 'Spy' satellites.
*again, WTF?
Re: (Score:1)
The 'super-epic flare' was a subtle bit of sarcasm in regards to the 'epic flare' of the posted story. The flare was unusual but not something most familiar with CMEs would consider 'epic'. I suppose it was too subtle for you to pick up and thus I apologize. Insulting me over something that petty (and for my 'rant' that backups are a good thing?), however, is more an indication of your age being closer towards the single digits than mine.
Solar Tentacles (Score:1)
Re: (Score:3)
>Run away
It is cold and dark. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
Stupid (Score:2)
clouds.
too late? (Score:2)
Hence explains why my GPS system was erratic that morning.
Re: (Score:2)
I guess that explains this guy [ocregister.com], too.