Northern Lights

[jeanne]

The local newspaper in Rochester reports that we may be able to see the northern lights tonight:

We may see
northern lights in
tonight's sky

The Associated Press and USA Today • August
3, 2010

The sun may be about to put on a colorful light
show.

That’s because of two minor solar storms that
flared on Sunday and are shooting tons of plasma
directly at Earth.

Scientists said residents of northern regions —
from Maine to Michigan and anywhere farther north
around the globe — may see unusual northern
lights.

Usually only regions closer to the Arctic can see the
auroras of rippling reds and greens, but solar
storms pull them south.

The federal Space Weather Prediction Center in
Boulder, Colo., said the plasma will likely arrive late
tonight or early tomorrow. The storms are not much
of a threat to satellites or power grids.

Until recently, the sun was in a phase with few
storms.

The blast appears to have emerged from the
interaction of a sunspot and magnetic ridge, or
filament, on the sun, writes Tony Phillips of
spaceweather.com. "We have just witnessed a
complex global eruption involving almost the entire
Earth-facing side of the sun," he reports.

[dbishop]

If you want to look for Aurora warnings, or any cool solar activity look at:

http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/pmap/pmapN.html  -  Aurora Map
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/index.html - Space Weather prediction center
http://www.spaceweather.com/ -  Space Weather, main site.

The sun has been very quiet for this solar cycle.   Attached is an image I shot in my back yard (Hilton NY) during the middle of the last solar cycle (~11 years).   

[Donna]

WOW, beautiful picture. Thanks so much for sharing. Nothing like that here in Jersey. 

LOVE the colors!

[valhalla]

WOW, beautiful picture. Thanks so much for sharing. Nothing like that here in Jersey. 

LOVE the colors!

If you went to High Point, you might get lucky

[Donna]

WOW, beautiful picture. Thanks so much for sharing. Nothing like that here in Jersey. 

LOVE the colors!

If you went to High Point, you might get lucky

I love High Point, what a view! The old KEG days! 

[MAK]

I love this pic!

PS