Solar storm
Posted: Thu Dec 14, 2006 10:20 pm
I just read this on my local NWS site...Quote »Active Sunspot Generates a Geomagnetic StormA space weather advisory was issued yesterday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Environment Center (NOAA SEC) out of Boulder, Colorado. A large and violent region on the surface of the sun, entitled Sunspot 930, erupted and generated a coronal mass ejection (CME--basically energy emitted from a large solar flare), which is hurling toward Earth. What does this exactly mean? This geomagnetic storm (which began December 14th, at 9:16 am EST) has produced strong radio blackouts, which includes HF (High Frequency) radio communications experiencing a loss of radio contact for about an hour, and low frequency radios experiencing degraded signals for about an hour. The geomagnetic storm has also generated a moderate solar radiation storm, which means that passengers and crew in high-altitude aircraft at higher latitudes (further North) may be exposed to an elevated radiation risk, and satellite operations may be briefly interrupted. The good news from this geomagnetic storm is that the CME headed toward Earth could generate auroras! Auroras are usually seen at high latitudes, but geomagnetic storms of this caliber often spark auroras as far south as Alabama. So if you live in south-central Indiana and central Kentucky, be on the lookout for possible overnight auroras! As always, if you happen to photograph an aurora, and would like to share it with us, please send us your pictures to the webmaster. Because Sunspot 930 is facing Earth, strong to severe geomagnetic storming is expected to continue through at least today as it rotates around the Sun. For more detailed information on this geomagnetic storm, please visit the Space Environment Center’s website.Cool. Too bad I probably missed the chance to see an aurora this far south, if it even happened! http://sec.noaa.gov/advisories/bulletins.html