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Northern Lights alert

 
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Last I saw, the enlil spiral was saying tonight, that was earlier, possibly better data now. Probably both are likely, as there have been more flares today.
 
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I usually wake up at 0300 and check the aurora then, but since I hurt my back a month ago, I've been sleeping like a baby and thus missed the chance to check these last couple days. It's a bummer, but I can't be too sad at getting a normal night of sleep for a change.

On the other hand, today's XKCD was fun:
check_engine_2x.png
[Thumbnail for check_engine_2x.png]
 
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I looked for them last night around 10 and didn't see squat.  But maybe the Canadian wildfire smoke obscured them...
 
Pearl Sutton
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High chance of good lights tonight! CME coming straight at us and there has been a proton storm for the last week that has the energy primed already.
Watch if you are in range!
 
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Woot.
Only partially cloudy forcast for tonight.  Fingers crossed.
 
r ransom
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And as the day progresses, the fog has settled in instead of burning off with the sunrise.  The overnight forcast increased to few clouds and has a picture of just clouds,

Partly cloudy has a picture of moon with a small cloud.

I am convinced there is a connection between northern lights and our cloud cover.
 
Pearl Sutton
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R Ranson: I absolutely think there is. You are close enough for the water vapor from the ocean to be attracted to the electrically charged dust in the air.
 
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Our forecast is also cloudy, for tonight. And, it seems to be the case, almost every time there is a chance of seeing them. I'm going to hope we get a break in the clouds, tonight!
 
Pearl Sutton
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Whooo… the CME just hit HARD. I predict good sky watching tonight for those in the zone.

IMG_1505.jpeg
Solar wind chart 5:30 pm central time Sept 1. 2025
Solar wind chart 5:30 pm central time Sept 1. 2025
 
Christopher Weeks
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Prediction is for 51% cloud cover at 0300 when I wake up. I'll check, but probably won't have good seeing.
 
Christopher Weeks
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Sky is lovely — a bazillion stars with a few wisps of cloud and lightning far to the west. But no aurora. :(
IMG_4520.jpeg
Starry night
Starry night
 
Mike Haasl
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Yep, nothing by me either last night :(
 
Pearl Sutton
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I'm surprised, that was a hard impact. The planetary Kp index did calm back down pretty fast, maybe it only was dramatic for a couple of hours, before it got dark in the US.  The aurora chart was showing high chances at 6PM last night, but it wasn't over the US yet.
 
r ransom
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Hazy with increasing clouds.  No light's
 
Carla Burke
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Just rain here.
 
Pearl Sutton
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Noon central time on Tuesday, this is the current aurora prediction map.
IMG_1509.jpeg
[Thumbnail for IMG_1509.jpeg]
 
Pearl Sutton
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Late notice! Coronal hole stream impact was a few hours ago. The charts are lit up! Go look!!!

IMG_1564.jpeg
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Mike Haasl
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They're hitting here!
 
Christopher Weeks
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Out on my morning walk, and the light to the north has a weird texture. As usual, my camera sees it way better. But if it’s dark enough and you’re north enough, check it out right now.
IMG_4687.jpeg
pretty steeply up and to the NE
pretty steeply up and to the NE
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This one tower was the only thing really obviously visible to the eyes.
This one tower was the only thing really obviously visible to the eyes.
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Neighbor's driveway leading to a hayfield gave the best vantage while walking.
Neighbor's driveway leading to a hayfield gave the best vantage while walking.
IMG_4685.jpeg
notch in the trees
notch in the trees
IMG_4684.jpeg
north down a roadcut
north down a roadcut
 
Christopher Weeks
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When I got back to the house, I hopped in the car and drove to the southern shore of nearby Manoomini-zaaga’iganing (Wild Rice Lake)

(The slight tilt was because I rested the phone on the roof of my parked car to eliminate shake-blur. It was worth it, but not perfect.)
IMG_4695.jpeg
Aurorora to the North across Manoomini-zaaga’iganing
Aurorora to the North across Manoomini-zaaga’iganing
 
Christopher Weeks
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Apparently NOAA publicized this yesterday, but I missed it.
fromYesterday.jpg
solar activity
solar activity
 
Christopher Weeks
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We're in a G2 status now. It's light here and I didn't check earlier, but if you're out west and northerly enough you might still have enough dark to see the colors. I'll check tonight to see if it's still lingering.
 
Pearl Sutton
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Solar storm going on, more impacts coming. It's hard to say when auroras will be bright, but it's worth watching the skies and see if you see any. They come and go as impacts hit, and impacts are not behaving as predicted.
 
Pearl Sutton
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Complicated solar storm about to hit. Watch the skies for the next few days. Multiple CME's that are piling up, then the behind ones hit on top.
Heads up! Depending on the magnetic field polarity, auroras may be visible pretty far south.
 
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Hmm, typical cloudy skies here. I wonder if the aurora will last till the weekend when we have fine weather forecast?
 
Christopher Weeks
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And while you're out looking, maybe you'll catch some Taurid meteors, which are amazing -- we saw one on our morning walk today and it was huge and lasted for seconds!
 
Christopher Weeks
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Too cloudy for really spectacular aurora, but here’s what I got at just 46.66° north. Thanks for the warning!
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Pearl Sutton
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I have a pink glow in the sky in Southern Missouri! Not as thrilling as yours but I'm ~1000 miles south of you :)
Kp 9.  30 minute index.
IMG_1716.png
Kp index, 30 min cycle. During a solar storm
Kp index, 30 min cycle. During a solar storm
 
Pearl Sutton
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3 hour kp index. Very dramatic.

IMG_1717.jpeg
3 hour kp index during a solar storm
3 hour kp index during a solar storm
 
Nancy Reading
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Christopher Weeks wrote:And while you're out looking, maybe you'll catch some Taurid meteors, which are amazing -- we saw one on our morning walk today and it was huge and lasted for seconds!


Ooh, I wonder if that's what I saw on Monday night? about 8.15 GMT travelling East West at about 45 degrees in the southern skye (would that make it near the equator from 57 degrees N?) very brght, wide flash over about an arc of 30 degrees before it disappeared. It really lit up the skye though! Mine was much faster, just a fraction of a second. More from Space.com
 
Pearl Sutton
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At 4am central time the sky still was glowing faintly pink

Nancy: yes, that probably was one of the tauroids. I saw a pretty one of them when I was out looking at the full moon. Those are so bright and slow they are really pretty!
 
Christopher Weeks
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At 0430, the clouds had all blown away.
IMG_5076.jpeg
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Christopher Weeks
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They’re out again, but low to the northern horizon. Also, a cousin in Tulsa saw them last night!
IMG_5079.jpeg
[Thumbnail for IMG_5079.jpeg]
 
Mike Haasl
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I was seeing them splash against the sky all the way overhead a half hour ago
 
r ransom
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https://www.livescience.com/space/the-sun/giant-sunspot-on-par-with-the-one-that-birthed-the-carrington-event-has-appeared-on-the-sun-and-its-pointed-right-at-earth


A massive new sunspot complex, dubbed AR 4294-4296, has emerged on the sun and is facing directly at Earth. The dark patch is on par with the infamous sunspot that birthed the 1859 Carrington Event — but, for now, it's staying quiet.



Sounds fun.

 
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Good thing we're a moving target... let's hope it misses us?
 
Pearl Sutton
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At the moment that one is quiet. Lots of us are watching it though.
 
r ransom
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https://www.bbc.com/weather/articles/c4g4ey8zxnzo

It's a good reminder that solar weather has a direct impact on earth.  It also amuses me that all the modern issues listed, are avoidable.  Only the people designing stuff these days aren't old enough to remember how much disruption moderate solar weather causes.  So they discard theold safety as outdated.  Maybe it's sad thar I find this funny, in a grim, shake head kind of way.
 
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We took a straight facing us M8.2 flare last night, and the CME impact from that will be hitting in a couple of days (hard to say exactly when.) It will make pretty lights, but if there are more flares from the two big spot systems facing us, they will combine and make REALLY PRETTY lights. I'll try to update impact day as it gets closer. Tuesday is best guess right now.
 
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