Toadfish Monastery

Open Water => Serious Discussion => Science => Topic started by: Opsa on December 15, 2006, 05:02:24 PM

Title: Aurora Borealis Alert!
Post by: Opsa on December 15, 2006, 05:02:24 PM
Check out this map of where the Northern Lights may be spotted tonight! Are you in the zone?

http://sec.noaa.gov/pmap/
Title: Re: Aurora Borealis Alert!
Post by: The Meromorph on December 15, 2006, 05:19:39 PM
As I understand the plots, the blue area merely represents the extent of the area over which readings were taken, there is no expectation of auroral sitings in those blue areas...  :(
Title: Re: Aurora Borealis Alert!
Post by: Opsa on December 15, 2006, 08:17:38 PM
The Geophysical Institute http://www.gedds.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast/
has this to say:
"The solar active region that came around the limb last week is now facing Earth. There was a large solar flare with attendant coronal mass ejection from this region at 0224 GMT on the 13th. This interplanetary disturbance should reach the Earth on the morning of the 14th GMT. It could take up to 12 hours to transfer its power to the geomagnetic field. The conclusion is watch the sky tonight and tomorrow night in North America perhaps as far south as the middle US and tomorrow night in Europe as far south as northern Europe. The aurora should be visible also from Tasmania and South New Zealand."

So maybe not us, but perhaps those of us a bit closer to the poles could see some action. That site also has hourly predictions, so check it out to see if the solar winds wind up blowing towards your area!
Title: Re: Aurora Borealis Alert!
Post by: Black Bart on December 18, 2006, 11:19:02 AM
Also keep a close look out (a medium sized pair of binoculars should do) for Father Xmas exploding in the night sky on or around the 25th of this month. In the Northern hemisphere Black Bart's condensed Fish Head Stew should make a fine display in the night sky and in the Southern hemisphere, Dave L's supergun should give off a comet like tail followed by a bright detonation just above Easter island.
Title: Re: Aurora Borealis Alert!
Post by: Opsa on December 18, 2006, 05:47:35 PM
Yeh, that's pretty much what happened to me when I last had Black Bart's condensed Fish Head Stew. I may have been responsible for that hole in the ozone.
Title: Re: Aurora Borealis Alert!
Post by: Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith on December 19, 2006, 03:12:47 AM
NASA pic of the day has a nice example, if you did not get to see it for real
(http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0612/auroraiowa_richard.jpg)
Title: Re: Aurora Borealis Alert!
Post by: Black Bart on December 19, 2006, 10:52:25 AM
Thanks, that is one gorgeous image. 

I still think the exploding Father christmas will be better though!
Title: Re: Aurora Borealis Alert!
Post by: DaveL on December 19, 2006, 11:36:12 PM
YArrrr...

Well make Santa part of a new aurora known as 'Aurora May-Day May-Day'

Beautiful pics BTW. I'm to far north to experience this. I looks amazing.