Solar and Aurora Activity Chat

[JeffC]

Observed Flux Density 72.9

Adjusted Flux Density 72.6 = low

[Katrine Basso]

AURORAS WITHOUT A SOLAR STORM: Yesterday, there was no solar flare, no coronal mass ejection (CME), no solar activity of any kind. Then this happened:

[Eagle Eye]

Just the sun shining in the right place and then suddenly that can happen it's just anything bright that has a lpt of photons that's why it happened. 

[Gael_Force]

4 minutes ago, Katrine Basso said:

AURORAS WITHOUT A SOLAR STORM: Yesterday, there was no solar flare, no coronal mass ejection (CME), no solar activity of any kind. Then this happened:

Is there a link to go with image? Wondering if they give a reason for it.

[Eagle Eye]

Just now, Gael_Force said:

Is there a link to go with image? Wondering if they give a reason for it.

I'm quite intruiged as to what it was as well

[jonboy]

2 hours ago, hamilton and weather fan 1 said:

I'm quite intruiged as to what it was as well

a crack in out magnetosphere allowing even slow moving solar wind to cause aura.  Not unusual but not predictable either.

[Methuselah]

1 minute ago, jonboy said:

a crack in out magnetosphere allowing even slow moving solar wind to cause aura.  Not unusual but not predictable either.

Thanks for that @jonboy. It would explain all those aurorae I saw, from the Scottish Highlands... when there were no MCEs or flares!

[jonboy]

4 minutes ago, General Cluster said:

Thanks for that @jonboy. It would explain all those aurorae I saw, from the Scottish Highlands... when there were no MCEs or flares!

I believe it is something more likely to happen during solar minimum as our magnetosphere tends to be weaker at this time and given the depth of this minimum its something that can happen more often. 

[Katrine Basso]

4 hours ago, Gael_Force said:

Is there a link to go with image? Wondering if they give a reason for it.

SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids

SPACEWEATHER.COM

Just as Varik headed out, a crack opened in Earth's magnetic field. Slow-moving solar wind poured through the gap, sparking auroras. This kind of unpredictable display can happen at any time around the Arctic Circle, where magnetic cracks often surprise observers--no solar storm required.

[JeffC]

Observed Flux Density 72.6

Adjusted Flux Density 72.3 = low

[Katrine Basso]

RARE RED AURORAS: Arctic photographer Rayann Elzein sees auroras all the time over Utsjoki, Finland. But the auroras he saw last night were different. "They were red," he says. "Almost only red."

"Rarely have I seen anything like this before," says Elzein. "I double-checked the white balance on my camera to make sure nothing was wrong. But it was the same color temperature as on all my other northern lights pictures."

"Later, we were treated to the usual swirls of green and even some pink nitrogen fringe," he says. "When the green swirls calmed down, the red returned."

Auroras are normally green--the verdant glow of oxygen atoms about 150 km above Earth's surface. Rare red auroras are also caused by oxygen atoms, but at higher altitudes between 150 km and 500 km. At those heights, the temperature and density of the atmosphere favors atomic transitions that emit red photons. Indeed, Elzein's photos show red stacked on top of green just as theory predicts.

For some reason, unknown to us, the solar wind on Oct. 12th excited oxygen at higher altitudes than usual, giving rare red auroras their chance to shine. Aurora

[Northernlights]

Fabulous photos on above post

 

Just for interest I  put this  on the Scottish thread last night

Posted 15 hours ago

Wet am followed by a  dry  bright afternoon not to cold at 12c maximum. Was reminded tonight of the best aurora I had ever seen on the 9th October 2004 . Stood with Aurora Storm watching it unfold .We had three distinct arcs covering the whole sky one green /yellow to the south and a similar one to the north and the really fabulous red one right overhead which if you looked directly above had spirals that you could look into that seemed to spiral to infinity. A truly memorable night first and only time I have seen  an arc to the south. No chance tonight as there is steady rain and perhaps not this October as the sun is still fairly sleepy. The only previous red aurora I had seen was in November 1985 as we left the house one night going out for a meal.

Edited October 13, 2020 by Northernlights

[JeffC]

Observed Flux Density 72.4

Adjusted Flux Density 72.1 = low

[Northernlights]

4 hours ago, Northernlights said:

Fabulous photos on above post

 

Just for interest I  put this  on the Scottish thread last night

Posted 15 hours ago

Wet am followed by a  dry  bright afternoon not to cold at 12c maximum. Was reminded tonight of the best aurora I had ever seen on the 9th October 2004 . Stood with Aurora Storm watching it unfold .We had three distinct arcs covering the whole sky one green /yellow to the south and a similar one to the north and the really fabulous red one right overhead which if you looked directly above had spirals that you could look into that seemed to spiral to infinity. A truly memorable night first and only time I have seen  an arc to the south. No chance tonight as there is steady rain and perhaps not this October as the sun is still fairly sleepy. The only previous red aurora I had seen was in November 1985 as we left the house one night going out for a meal.

Just been corrected by Aurora Storm that it was  October 2003 not 2004

[Weather-history]

 

[SteveB]

1 day blank, 204 for 2020, 71%

Solar flux 72

Thermosphere: 4.58

[Katrine Basso]

MORE RED AURORAS: "Is this the new normal?" wonders Rayann Elzein of Utsjoki, Finland. "For the second night in a row, we have photographed red auroras--an extremely rare event."

 

[JeffC]

Observed Flux Density 74.5

Adjusted Flux Density 74.1 = low

Touch higher, maybe a sunspot incoming...

[JeffC]

Observed Flux Density 73.2

Adjusted Flux Density 72 8 = low

[JeffC]

21 hours ago, JeffC said:

Observed Flux Density 74.5

Adjusted Flux Density 74.1 = low

Touch higher, maybe a sunspot incoming...

Got that right!!

[JeffC]

Observed Flux Density 74.0

Adjusted Flux Density 73.5 = low

[JeffC]

Observed Flux Density 74.6

Adjusted Flux Density 74.1 = low

[JeffC]

Observed Flux Density 75.9

Adjusted Flux Density 75.3 = low

[JeffC]

Observed Flux Density 75.8

Adjusted Flux Density 75.2 = low

[JeffC]

Observed Flux Density 75.1

Adjusted Flux Density 74.4 = low