Solar and Aurora Activity Chat

[Darren Bown]

I've only seen photographic evidence from Scotland, oh and a dubious one from Wigan.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y44/rainwooney/August5th2011077.jpg

That one from Wigan looks like the Sun setting to me...

http://twitpic.com/61j8jw

that one is a definite. From Kendal, Cumbria.

Edited August 6, 2011 by Dazmaster75

[Winter Warmer]

just had a phone call off my mother asking me what these orangeish waves are going across the sky she said she's never seen anything like it

[Martin M]

I've only seen photographic evidence from Scotland, oh and a dubious one from Wigan.

http://i2.photobucke...t5th2011077.jpg

That one from Wigan looks like the Sun setting to me...

Yes, i got back from watching Paul Scholes' testamonial earlier, but the sky to the north in Manchester, after the game had a green tint to it but to me it was more of a fading light / twilight than a aurora. That would of been abour 22.00. And it was completely dark by the time i had finished queing in the traffic so it wouldnt surprise me if someones trying to fool a few people with that pic.

Edit. That one from Kendal looks alot more like it.

Edited August 6, 2011 by Martin M

[Winter Warmer]

my mate just text me saying him and his dad can see it too

[john pike]

http://www2.nict.go.jp/y/y223/simulation/realtime/index.html

looks like pressure is building up again

http://www.solarham.com/planetk.htm

Edited August 6, 2011 by john pike

[OldGreggsTundraBoy]

I was expecting more widespread sightings filling the sky given the so called Severe Storm of Kp7 or 8 depending on sources.

[shuggee]

Just back from spending a couple of hours above Gullane beach, East Lothian looking north over the North Sea (ie no light pollution) and with 25% cloud. Absolutely no sign of aurora.

[OldGreggsTundraBoy]

Just back from spending a couple of hours above Gullane beach, East Lothian looking north over the North Sea (ie no light pollution) and with 25% cloud. Absolutely no sign of aurora.

So elusive, if the observed kp were anything to go by we'd all be seeing something and scotland would be right under it, they must have got it wrong?

[shuggee]

Fickle is probably a better word ogtb! The lingering twilight didn't help either probably. Was good fun nevertheless - plenty of star spotting in the summer sky.

[GeorgeWX]

I ended up travelling a bit further than anticipated to get a cloudless gap in the north view but soon after i arrived around 1130pm the view to the north erupted into colour, the timing couldn't be better. A bright green band rising around 30 degrees fading out to a very light pink/purple around 50 degrees, it was the brightest aurora i have seen in a long time. Light cloud cover soon attacked from the sw eventually blocking the view north just as the arc faded to quieter, greener hues. It was still lively as the cloud swallowed it up, there were visible auroral rays up to and maybe even above 50 degrees.

Its nice to see the kp8 rating, as it's nearly 5 years since the last geomagnetic storm measuring kp8. Also nice to nail the storm severity beforehand, the big ones are the important ones.

[Coast]

A series of solar flares that erupted on the Sun over the last three days have crossed the solar system and hit the Earth's magnetic field on Friday afternoon. The flares, which are backed by a small radiation storm and a spectacular coronal mass ejection (CME), might stimulate aurorae on Friday night and could disrupt power grids and satellites.

A series of solar flares that erupted in the Sun over the last three days are heading towards the Earth and could disrupt power grids and satellites. Visible auroral activities are predicted for Friday in high latitude regions of the Northern Hemisphere, including the Arctic and parts of Canada, Russia, Alaska (USA) and northern Scandinavia. Reports of Northern Lights are coming in from many European countries including Germany, Denmark, Scotland and the Netherlands.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a warning for G3 (Strong) Geomagnetic Storm as G2 (Moderate) conditions has already surpassed. The solar flares caused some radio blackouts Wednesday and Thursday, and caused some disruptions of high-frequency communications with airplanes flying over the Atlantic and Pacific oceans

Three solar flares erupted on the sun beginning on Tuesday, and the most powerful electromagnetic shocks were being felt Friday by the ACE spacecraft. The ACE spacecraft measures radiation bursts several minutes before they hit the Earth. Real-time data from ACE is used by the Space Weather Prediction Center to improve forecasts and warnings of solar storms.

“It is too early to know what the effects of the blasts will be. If it is a really big storm, it still could be active Saturday night, but this kind of disturbance level won't be sustained for long,†said Joseph Kunches, a space weather scientist with NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center.

Tom Bogdan, director of NOAA’s space environment center, said over the next three to five years scientists anticipate a number of these blasts will become more frequent. He said the next climax, called a solar maximum, was expected in 2013.

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/193460/20110806/solar-storm-solar-flare-auroras-power-grids-and-satellites-carrington-event-g3-strong-geomagnetic-st.htm

[kar999]

I know that KP index map is only a rough guide but is still a good indicator as you can still often see an Aurora low on the horizon further south than it indicates..

I was clouded out to the north horizon which, from past experience, is where I would have expected a low glow at my latitude given that it was a strong but not huge storm.

I’m quite lucky with not too much light pollution but do get some from Telford to my NW and Wolverhampton to SE. There were light high bands of thin cloud drifting about but you could still just make strong constellations like the plough through them. I was out there for some time and these clouds did get an orange glow as they drifted NW to SE…. but, yes you’ve guessed it, it was only as they picked up the light pollution as they moved across the sky. It was definitely not Aurora!

As for sighting as far South as the M4 corridor, it seems to be pushing the boundary a bit, but not impossible. A long exposure photo can sometimes pick up colour that is invisible to the naked eye.

Well done to those that got a show. The pictures from Scotland and Cumbria are great and it’s good to see the Sun kicking off again with visible sightings other than just Scotland and Northern UK a possibility again.

Till the next time.. and pray for cloudless skies.

Edited August 6, 2011 by kar999

[gpspete]

not long had an email may be visible again tonight cloud and of course what will be a decaying geomagnetic storm permitting

[snowlover2009]

To those mentioning the sun, well it looks quieter than it did a few week ago to me:

http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime/hmi_igr/1024/latest.html The dots are really faded and only one notable dot or two. Besides if we are heading to solar maximum, the sun is still very quiet.

[yamkin]

BIG SUNSPOT GETS BIGGER

http://spaceweather.com/

[yamkin]

M-Class flare erupts from very turbulent sunspot 1263

http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2011/08/08/m-class-flare-erupts-from-very-turbulent-sunspot-1263/

Edited August 9, 2011 by yamkin

[GeorgeWX]

I got a snapshot of the magnetometer graph around 12 hours after last weekends kp8 geomagnetic storm, I'll post it up for future reference.

There were aurora sightings as far south as Germany, Take a look on Spaceweather.coms picture gallery here

Also this morning an X7 class flare and CME from sunspot 1263, Earth effects from this event should be minimal due to the direction of the CME. Worth noting, this flare takes top spot in the flare intensity charts for solar cycle 24 downgrading the X2 flare from February to second place.

Edited August 9, 2011 by GeorgeWX

[yamkin]

X-class flare, spike in X-ray solar flux, and increase in solar winds from coronal hole

http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2011/08/09/spike-in-x-ray-solar-flux-and-increase-in-solar-winds-from-coronal-hole/

[Snow Leopard]

Just back from spending a couple of hours above Gullane beach, East Lothian looking north over the North Sea (ie no light pollution) and with 25% cloud. Absolutely no sign of aurora.

Also went up to the Pentlands and saw nothing. Some did though, there is at least one photo posted on Spaceweather from a bloke in Edinburgh that managed to see it here. He did say that it was very faint to the naked eye and the colours only really showed up on the camera.

[shuggee]

Solar Storms Building Toward Peak in 2013, NASA Predicts

http://www.space.com/12586-solar-storms-intensity-2013-peak-nasa.html

[drgl]

I'm confused, I thought not so long back we were being told the sun was going very quiet?? Now it is ramping up to a peak in 2013? I seem to recall graphs plotting the current activity matching the last very quiet spell, is that no longer the case?

[Ladyofthestorm]

I'm confused, I thought not so long back we were being told the sun was going very quiet?? Now it is ramping up to a peak in 2013? I seem to recall graphs plotting the current activity matching the last very quiet spell, is that no longer the case?

The truth of the matter is they just dont know.

Suns waking up.

[jonboy]

I'm confused, I thought not so long back we were being told the sun was going very quiet?? Now it is ramping up to a peak in 2013? I seem to recall graphs plotting the current activity matching the last very quiet spell, is that no longer the case?

We maybe heading for the max of this cycle and activity is ramping up but a doubling of activity from a very low base does not mean we have an active sun especially when compared to the last few cycles. The sun remains quiet compared to both what was expected and the recent past few years

[drgl]

I see, however on spaceweather(I think) the number of spotless days this years in next to nothing compared to the previous two? It seems to have ramped up very quickly?

[Radiating Dendrite]

I see, however on spaceweather(I think) the number of spotless days this years in next to nothing compared to the previous two? It seems to have ramped up very quickly?

But this is not unexpected.

At maximum, the sun can have tens of sunspots. The number of spots in a given period is the real indicator, not the number of spotless days.

This cycle is forecast to be quiet as there will be fewer sunspots than the last few cycles, this does not mean there will be lots of spotless days.