Posted by David Prichard on December 16, 2010 at 12:33 PM
"Solar storm may produce strong aurora borealis http://ow.ly/3qeq9 solar eruption on Dec 14 should strike the Earth just after midnight tonight
A solar eruption on Dec. 14 should strike the Earth just after midnight and could produce strong northern lights. Space weather seems to be as variable as Earth weather, so there are a lot of qualifiers getting thrown around. But good light shows have been scarce in the Southcentral area recently, so this one is at least worth a look (if not a drive). From the release: "A solar event occurred on Dec 14th that may produce auroral displays greater than our auroral forecast index 4, sometime after midnight (0836 Greenwich time) on the 16th of Dec. This means the shock may reach Earth sometime around midnight on Dec 15 in North America. Depending on the character of the disturbance following the shock, viewing may be good on the night of the 16th and 17th." More information, including the technical details, can be found here and spaceweather.com has posted a short animation of the eruption."
Why yes, now that you mention it, our local forecast is for overcast for the next few days.
Posted by Jim DeWitt on December 16, 2010 at 6:07 PM
Well, it's clear here in Interior Alaska, but it's also forecast to be -40 to -50F tonight, which makes photography a bit of a challenge as well.
Discussion
2 repliesA solar eruption on Dec. 14 should strike the Earth just after midnight and could produce strong northern lights. Space weather seems to be as variable as Earth weather, so there are a lot of qualifiers getting thrown around. But good light shows have been scarce in the Southcentral area recently, so this one is at least worth a look (if not a drive). From the release: "A solar event occurred on Dec 14th that may produce auroral displays greater than our auroral forecast index 4, sometime after midnight (0836 Greenwich time) on the 16th of Dec. This means the shock may reach Earth sometime around midnight on Dec 15 in North America. Depending on the character of the disturbance following the shock, viewing may be good on the night of the 16th and 17th." More information, including the technical details, can be found here and spaceweather.com has posted a short animation of the eruption."
Why yes, now that you mention it, our local forecast is for overcast for the next few days.