Ready for the biggest geo-mag storm in 144 years?

[don]

Is everyone ready for the biggest geo-magnetic storm to hit Earth since 1859? It's gonna be here tomorrow (Oct. 24th)!!!

Read all about it in the SpaceWeather.com story at: http://spaceweather.com/

And a NASA story at:
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/23oct_superstorm.htm?list897130

-Don G.

[ziggy]

Yes

[JackHiggins]

Today's hit didn't have much of an effect, as the earth's magnetic field was "pointing north" (?)

Apparently tomorrow's will produce much more spectacular aurorae...! (Not that we ever see them here...)

[don]

Today's hit didn't have much of an effect...

Maybe a good thing, since we have so many satellites in orbit now, and major power grids everywhere.

-Don G.

[JackHiggins]

Maybe a good thing, since we have so many satellites in orbit now, and major power grids everywhere.

Well, of course! And then there's the 5 crew on the ISS at the moment too...

It'll be interesting to see if my tv/radio reception really is affected much...

[JackHiggins]

X 17.2 Flare on its way!!

Here's SOHO's LASCO C3 view... (The "snowstorm" effect is caused by solar protons striking the CCD)


This is the second largest CME ever observed by SOHO... I wouldn't like to be on the ISS at the moment...

According to spaceweather.com...

One of the most powerful solar flares in years, a remarkable X17-category explosion, erupted from sunspot 486 this morning at approximately 1110 UT. A strong solar radiation storm is in progress. (Click here to learn about the effects of such storms.) The explosion hurled a coronal mass ejection almost directly toward Earth. When it left the sun, the cloud was traveling 2125 km/s (more than 4 million mph). The CME could trigger bright auroras when it sweeps past Earth perhaps as early as tonight.

[don]

Does the ISS not have protective shielding from solar and EM radiation from the sun?

I also heard this was the third largest solar flare in recorded history.

Where's that aluminum tarp???

[JackHiggins]

Does the ISS not have protective shielding from solar and EM radiation from the sun?

It does- apparently the "back end" of the Zvezda (sp?) module has the best shielding for this kind of situation... But there's still nothing like 60km of atmosphere & a few 100km of magnetic field to stop those nasty high-energy protons...

I also heard this was the third largest solar flare in recorded history.

Yup- only the 1989 one that knocked out Quebec's power, and the one in 1849 (?) were more powerful!

Where's that aluminum tarp???

And for those of you out there that way inclined- get your tinfoil hats ready!!

[Darkmiss]

is this still going on ?
If so how long for, and has anyone seen any great aurora yet ?

[JackHiggins]

Nope it's all over now... (Unless you happen to live near the Arctic, where you see it all the time anyway...) I managed to see a vague greenish glow in the sky behind all the clouds on wednesday night, but then it started to rain... Apparently it was clearly visible from almost everywhere else in Ireland though...

The US congress will be voting in a few days whether to keep funding NOAA's Space environment center, which plays a HUGE part in space weather forecasting. God help us if they cut this program too...

[billybob884]

I happened to see a very beautiful aurora last night around the sunset. Green, yellow, a bit of blue, some purple and red, all over the place. It only lasted a few minutes though.

[don]

Howdy Paul,

is this still going on ?
If so how long for, and has anyone seen any great aurora yet ?

Yep ...

Space Weather News for Nov. 2, 2003
http://spaceweather.com

Another remarkable solar flare has erupted from giant sunspot 486--an X8-class blast at 1725 UT on Nov. 2nd. Because the sunspot is nearing the sun's western limb, this explosion was not aimed squarely at Earth. Even so, a coronal mass ejection (CME) is heading our way. Auroras could appear on Nov. 3rd or 4th when the fast-moving cloud delivers a glancing blow to Earth's magnetic field. Visit spaceweather.com for more information and images.

Not sure for how long -- as long as the sun has spots and they erupt towards Earth <smile>? I think sunspot 486 is about to face away from Earth and this has been the active one of late.

Been too cloudy at our location to see anything.

-Don G.

[JackHiggins]

Just when you thought it was all over... And then you get possibly the largest solar flare ever recorded!!

Observe:


For more data have a look at http://www.sec.noaa.gov and http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/hotshots/
Although it was near the sun's limb, a small amount of the CME should be reaching us about now! We had a small powercut a few minutes ago- it IS stormy outside, but not so bad as it normally is when there's powercuts- possible connection?!

The SEC/SOHO etc are calling it an X20+ flare at the moment (All the sensors were overloaded so no-one can immediately tell) but it could be in the range of an X40 or HIGHER...!!!

I also just noticed that the Interplanetary Mag field has shifted to 1.5 nT south... Aurorae!!

[don]

- W O W -

[danielj]

I don?t understand.If someone have sawn auroras at Mexico,near tropic of Cancer,why I can?t see such auroras near tropic of Capricorn,at Soth America?

[JackHiggins]

daniel

It just depends on the circumstances- up here in Ireland, we might get incredible aurorae (highly unlikely but hey we live in hope...) and then down in South america you might not get any-

Sometimes a part of a coronal mass ejection will hit mostly at the north pole, and sometimes at the south pole! Maybe someone else can explain it better, but basically, just because a large CME has hit, doesn't mean you are guaranteed to see anything!

[granthutchison]

I don?t understand.If someone have sawn auroras at Mexico,near tropic of Cancer,why I can?t see such auroras near tropic of Capricorn,at Soth America?

You're right that aurorae are usually mirror-symmetrical in the northern and southern hemispheres, with near-identical displays playing out around both poles. But remember that aurorae are centred on the geomagnetic poles, not the geographical poles. The north geomagnetic pole is at 80 degrees north between Greenland and Canada, and so is in the same (that is, western) hemisphere as Mexico; the south geomagnetic pole is at 80 degrees south on the opposite side of the world, somewhere on the East Antarctic icesheet, and is therefore in the opposite hemisphere from South America. So for an aurora to appear over the Tropic of Cancer in Mexico it has to spread roughly 55 degrees from the north geomagnetic pole - but for an aurora to appear over the Tropic of Capricorn in South America it would have to be 75 degrees from the south geomagnetic pole. Put another way, the aurora australis corresponding to the Mexican display would be visible in Patagonia, not over the Tropic of Capricorn.

Grant