Northern Lights Tonight!

[Guest Sundancefisher]

http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/08/03/so...-across-canada/

 

Stargazing doesn’t get much better than this. Tonight, the northern lights are expected to make an appearance in the night sky across Canada and the northern United States, thanks to a spectacular eruption on the surface of the Sun.

 

Early on Sunday, the sun’s surface exploded, spewing plasma into space and directly towards Earth, the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics said in a statement.

 

That plasma reacts with the Earth’s magnetic field, triggering geomagnetic storms known as aurorae, or the northern lights, which take the form of red and green rivers of light dancing across the sky. Usually only seen at higher altitudes in the Earth’s polar regions, a solar eruption of this magnitude triggers the display at lower latitudes.

 

“This eruption is directed right at us, and is expected to get here early in the day on August 4th,” said astronomer Leon Golub of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in the statement. “It’s the first major Earth-directed eruption in quite some time.”

 

Astrophysicists say the sun has essentially woken up since its last major eruption in 2001. The Sun goes through an 11-year cycle of calm and eruptions. This eruption is the first sign that the Sun is heading toward another period of maximum activity.

[flyfishfairwx]

Those solar flares and eruption played havoc with my HF communications when I worked MACS in Europe and Combat HF comms in North America..

 

Neat to hear the solar noise, from the HF sets though, no human made noise could match it...

 

I used to work Ambulance and E911 in Wainwright AB, and in the winter I would be driving home at 0100AM and turn the lights off on my old Chevy truck, this would turn the dash and headlights off, and then I would stick my head out the window and watch the Northern lights Aurora Borealis while I drove home..

 

http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/08/03/so...-across-canada/

 

Stargazing doesn’t get much better than this. Tonight, the northern lights are expected to make an appearance in the night sky across Canada and the northern United States, thanks to a spectacular eruption on the surface of the Sun.

 

Early on Sunday, the sun’s surface exploded, spewing plasma into space and directly towards Earth, the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics said in a statement.

 

That plasma reacts with the Earth’s magnetic field, triggering geomagnetic storms known as aurorae, or the northern lights, which take the form of red and green rivers of light dancing across the sky. Usually only seen at higher altitudes in the Earth’s polar regions, a solar eruption of this magnitude triggers the display at lower latitudes.

 

“This eruption is directed right at us, and is expected to get here early in the day on August 4th,” said astronomer Leon Golub of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in the statement. “It’s the first major Earth-directed eruption in quite some time.”

 

Astrophysicists say the sun has essentially woken up since its last major eruption in 2001. The Sun goes through an 11-year cycle of calm and eruptions. This eruption is the first sign that the Sun is heading toward another period of maximum activity.

 

[Harps]

There is a cool northern lights forecast page from Alaska here:

http://www.gedds.alaska.edu/auroraforecast/

Activity is suposed to peak on Wednesday and Thursday nights (visible low in the sky from dark areas near Calgary).

 

It was cool to see how acurate it was while living in Alaska.

[bigbowtrout]

Sweet link Harps

[Guest Sundancefisher]

Sweet link Harps

 

Darn...

 

That seems to show us not seeing the northern lights in Calgary?

[Harps]

The dark line on the forecast page indicates where the lights can be seen above the horizon... they should see them all the way into Great Falls on wed and thurs. You should see them in Calgary, but you may have to get into a dark area though.

 

Everybody in the green area highlighted area should see them almost straight up!

 

In August, 2001 they were visible (even looking south) from Beaver Mines. Straight above there was a dark patch and the lights seemed to come (or go to) that spot. Red, blue and green, it was really creepy, but made for great photos!

[mvdaog]

anyone go outside the city and see them last night??

Wonder when would be best to see them tonight...

[Guest Sundancefisher]

anyone go outside the city and see them last night??

Wonder when would be best to see them tonight...

 

LOL

 

I forgot but someone I knew looked briefly and did not see anything. It may of been low on the north horizon or maybe visible tonight.

 

Cheers

[birchy]

Any ideas about good places to go that are out of the city lights, but not too far of a drive? I suppose anywhere north of the city towards balzac/airdrie would be decent since it's mostly flat.

[troutlover]

Also aug 10 to 14 there is supposed to be a spectacular meteor shower largest in 1000 years i think

[darrinhurst]

that would be cool to watch.

[Guest Sundancefisher]

Any ideas about good places to go that are out of the city lights, but not too far of a drive? I suppose anywhere north of the city towards balzac/airdrie would be decent since it's mostly flat.

 

I would think for Calgary...anywhere's away from street lights...or Fort McMurray...

[Harps]

I didn't see any lights around Lethbridge from 11:30 to 1AM.

 

I'll try again tonight... its supposed to be better.

[Pipestoneflyguy]

Have an outa-towner visiting tonight with some Aussies, pending a first-person weather forcast (look up at 2-3am lol) if its clear were hiking up fairview Mtn for lights and sunrise - should be nice

[Guest Sundancefisher]

http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronomy/auroramax/

 

Canadian website up and running. They have a web cam on in the evenings.