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48182
From: ryan, [DNS_Address]
Subject: 'Dramatic' sun storm could produce northern lights over California
URL: https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/northern-lights-geomagnetic-storm-norcal-19449795.php
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'Dramatic' sun storm could produce northern lights over California 'It's just Mother Nature reminding us who's boss,' one Bay Area astronomer said By Amanda Bartlett May 9, 2024 Auroras could be visible over Northern California on Friday and Saturday night — a dazzling byproduct of the first severe geomagnetic storm the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center has monitored in nearly two decades. The storm is ranked as a Level 4 (out of five) on NOAA’s scale. “This is an unusual event,” the agency said. Large sunspot groups and strong solar flares led to the issuance of SWPC's first G4 Watch since 2005... pic.twitter.com/oi55cTPXhP — NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (@NWSSWPC) May 9, 2024 A minimum of four coronal mass ejections, or CMEs — what NASA describes as “huge bubbles” of plasma, or charged particles, that are expelled from the sun “over the course of several hours” — began hurtling toward Earth over the past few days, and are expected to arrive by Friday afternoon and remain through Sunday, NOAA said. These charged particles burst millions of miles out into space and meet the Earth’s magnetic field before getting deflected toward the poles of our planet, where they enter the atmosphere and produce the glowing, shimmering clouds we know as the northern lights, explained Gerald McKeegan, an astronomer for Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland. The celestial spectacle could come into view over most of the northern half of the United States, from as far south as Alabama and up to Northern California. “We are expecting quite a show on May 11,” he told SFGATE on Thursday. The sun is currently in an increased period of activity in its 11-year solar cycle, McKeegan said. When it’s at its maximum, like it is now, scientists see a lot of sunspots and CMEs, which cause the storms. Initially, there were five CMEs, but what McKeegan described as “a cannibal storm” gobbled up another one and they clumped together. The sun is always spitting out charged particles, he said, and in photos taken during the partial solar eclipse last month, you may have noticed what looked like red blobs extending out of it that are known as prominences. A CME is essentially a much larger version of that activity. “It’s pretty dramatic,” he said. “If the Earth was up close, it’d become completely engulfed.” Lucky for us, we’re about 93 million miles away, and anything we might notice will appear as a reddish or green glow in the dark sky. People hoping to catch a glimpse of the light show won’t find it in downtown San Francisco. Instead, head to a remote, high-elevation area away from urban activity like Mount Hamilton, Mount Diablo or Chabot, which is hosting a public telescope viewing on both nights. Look toward the north and simply let your eyes adjust to the darkness — the event won’t be nearly as bright as what you might see in Alaska, but it could be discernible for several hours. Because of the intensity of the storms, it’s likely that disturbances of the Earth’s magnetic field will result in communication disruptions and possible power outages over the weekend, McKeegan said. “Don’t be surprised if ... your favorite TV station isn’t working right or your cell phone isn’t working for a little while, but generally, things should recover pretty quickly,” he said. “It’s just Mother Nature reminding us who’s boss.” |
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48183
From: shatterbrain, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: 'Dramatic' sun storm could produce northern lights over California
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