Massive "Solar Storm" Engulfing the Planet; So Far, So Good...

A massive solar flare-up took place on March 6th, as shown in the NASA images above and below...

This type of event is technically called a "Coronal Mass Ejection" or CME.  The event was believed to be one of the largest releases of solar energy in the last 5 years.  Such an occurrence can have damaging effects on key components of our infrastructure such as GPS, communications and electric power grids, etc.  It can also cause problems with cellphone and other wireless connections.

NASA scientists believe that the "fallout" reached the earth about 6:30 am EST this morning, and thus far there have been little to no major disruptions noted.

Interest (and in some cases, fear), of this type of an event has been peaked in recent months by popular documentary programs such as the "Doomsday Preppers".  One segment on the program recently featured a family that was preparing for a "massive solar storm" that would shut down the power grid and cut off all communication with the outside world.  Fortunately, it does not appear as though that will be the case with this particular event.

One positive that will likely come about as a result of the solar storm will be a much higher than normal chance of seeing an Aurora (also known as the "Northern Lights") across portions of the U.S.

The above photo was taken in Calgary, Alberta Canada yesterday evening.  

Depending on how the energy is distrubuted across the earth's electromagnetic field today, there could be a better than normal chance of folks across portions of the central and northern U.S. seeing the aurora tonight.  One forecast from the University of Alaska suggests that folks will be able to see the aurora as far South as parts of Kansas and Missouri, as shown by the solid green (bottom-most) line on the image below:

Folks within the white and green solid banded area to the North are already beneath prime aurora conditions, according the forecast.  You will have an excellent chance of viewing the Northern Lights this evening!

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Solar Storms Just Getting Started...

In a recent post, I pointed out that the Aurora Borealis (or "Northern Lights") were visible much further to the South than normal recently. According to this article in the International Business Times, the solar storms that cause an increase in Aurora activity (among other things), are only just getting started...

As the article points out, such massive flare-ups can lead to many undesirable things like interruptions in satellite communications, GPS, cellphone communications, the internet, etc..  But as a few folks found out on Friday night, they can also lead to a spectacle that few (other than those in the Northern-most latitudes) ever get to experience:

I recommend Space Weather.com as a great site to follow for daily updates on solar flares and related information...

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Northern Lights Put on Quite a Show Yesterday Evening....

As a follow-up to yesterday's post concerning the Aurora Borealis (a.k.a. "The Northern Lights"), many folks across the Northern half of the U.S. saw quite a show toward Midnight last night.  


One of my favorite photos of the event last night was taken from a very likely place to see the Aurora (Shaunavon, Saskatchewan in Canada), but also had the awesome added bonus of including a thunderstorm with in-cloud lightning visible on the horizon!  The awesome shot that I'm speaking of was taken by Chris Attrell:

Greg Johnson, a storm chaser and professional photographer in Canada captured this stunning shot in southern Saskatchewan last night: 

On the U.S. side of the border, Rob Wright caputured this image near Limestone, Maine:

...and here is a stunning shot by Travis Novitsky, taken near Grand Portage, Minnesota:

The shot below was taken near Stagecoach, Colorado.  If you look closely you can see vertical "bands" within the overall light blue hue in the sky:

I've also seen reports that the Northern Lights were viewed as far South as Falls City, Nebraska and near Little Sioux in southern Iowa (near the Missouri border).  The glow was probably faint and closer to the horizon in these areas; I have not had anyone send me a photo just yet...

The magnetic storm that produced this amazing site last night is subsiding today, but there will still be a good chance of seeing the Northern Lights a bit further South than normal again tonight.  For the U.S. that would primarily be in the states just South of the Canadian border.

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Northern Lights to be Visible In Many Areas Tonight

A fierce magnetic storm is underway in the outer reaches of the atmosphere this evening. As a result, Aurora Borealis (also known as "the Northern Lights") will be visible much further South than usual for at least the next couple of nights.  While those of you in the Central and Northern two thirds of the U.S. will have the greatest chance of spotting the Northern Lights (see the purple and blue shaded areas on the image below), it is possible that they could be spotted even further South tonight and/or Saturday night.

In general, the best hours to view the Northern Lights in the Northern Hemisphere are between 11pm and 1am Central Time.  They may also be observed before or after that time range as well, but that is usually the peak intensity and viewing period.  As the name implies, you'll want to look into the Northern part of the sky.  If you are in the Southern fringes of the viewing area, they may only be visible very near the horizon.  If you're further North (and lucky), you might get to see them extend well up above the horizon.

I'll never forget my first (and only, so far) view of the Northern Lights in the early 1990s outside of El Dorado, KS (right between 11:30pm and Midnight local time).  Words can't describe the awesome spectacle that I witnessed that evening.  I didn't really know what I was doing, but I accidentally captured some spectacular shots with my cheap, "point and shoot" 35mm camera.  Two of those photos were on display at the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center in Hutchinson for many years afterward (I don't know if they still are today - but I doubt it).  One of these days it's my intention to pull out those old negatives (as well as some of my other storm chasing photos) and have them digitized so that I can share them on the blog on an occasion like this.

It's hard to convey the true beauty of this sight on camera (still or video), but the YouTube video below shows some of the many forms that the Aurora can take on:

Good luck, happy viewing and be sure to drop me a line if you see something this weekend (a photo would be great, too!)

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