We’re in for a solar storm. Should arrive on Aug 3rd, roughly, with possibility for auroral display for those of you in the right latitudes; and I hope the astronauts on the space station get their repair done ASAP and get battened down safely.
solar mass ejection headed our way: pretty spectacular: watch for aurorae…
by CJ | Aug 2, 2010 | Journal | 16 comments
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One also hopes the CME doesn’t affect communications satellites, GPS satellites, electrical power grids, and especially the folks on the ISS. Aurorae are very pretty, but certain tribes of Eskimo believed that it was a bad omen, sort of like auspicae.
From what I have heard on NPR we are in a time of high solar activity. They are saying that it will be more extensive than it has been in years. Some think it could have a major effect or global communications, others are not so sure. With the growth in wireless communications that has occured in the last several years the potential is there. When solar activity has expanded in the past there was not much effect, but our communication systems were less complex and less sensitive than they are now. Like the whole Y2K thing it comes down to the fact that no one realy knows for sure. hopefuly, like Y2K it won’t amount to anything.
Predicted solar maximum for the current 11-year cycle is expected in 2013. Presently we should in the build up to that maximum and CMEs and aurorae are to be expected. The reason we have the early warning is because we now have solar observing satellites located in stable orbits far enough from earth to give a stereoscopic view of the sun’s photoshere through which CMEs are ejected.
Up until last month scientists were saying that we had had an exceptionally quiet solar minimum and very little activity was taking place (behind schedule, and less active). I guess they were guilty of not enough patience.
One of my friends is a solar astronomer, and he and his colleagues were ripping their hair out trying to figure out what the Sun was up to these days. As you observed, up until quite recently, not only did we have a very quiet solar minimum, but the normal cycle wasn’t showing the usual signs of upswing at this time. The abnormality was causing a lot of quiet yet frantic rewriting of theories in solar astronomy. This is one of the reasons I want the new solar observatory to be built in my neighborhood — I want to know what the Sun is doing, since it directly impacts me!
Ham radio operators, like me, watch the solar cycles pretty closely, since periods of low solar activity means long distance high-frequency (HF) radio contacts are difficult. I did manage it one time, though, about 3,000 miles at the lowest point of the 11 year cycle.
The sun like any star is variable, and trying to predict what it’s going to do is like trying to say which way the cat is going to go through the rooms. You just don’t know.
Wish I could have seen the aururae last night, but it was raining and clouded over.
Ever try to bounce your signal off an ionized meteor trail? 😀
No, I don’t have any antennas connected. I live on a farm 4 miles outside of town, I have a 60 foot tower with 2 antennas cut for the 80 meter band (3.5MHZ), but I can’t use them because the tower is 200 feet from the house and I don’t have that much cable.
Hams do try to catch a good meteor shower and play with the trails to see if they can get lucky and make contacts, but I just have the basic equipment, a radio, some cables, and a mobile antenna.
I think we are going to be too cloudy … have always wanted to see it … 🙁
The solar storm will reach us this evening. Any of you who have cloud cover, think ‘up’, as in a local mountain, if you have a good chance. I have seen it only once, and it is worth the effort.
hah! up – 200 ft above sea level – this is as high as you get in around here in the east of the UK …… no, cloudy night, and probably another, with rain, tonight. typical. (we also have the lowest rainfall in the UK)
I was in Québec city in 1978 during a particularly spectacular showing. Unfortunately, I missed it as I was indoors at the time. My friend thought it was the end of the world before he realized what it was!
What we saw was like a green waterfall in the sky. They say with this one we may see some reds, unusual for our latitude.
It’s only a class C ejection. Wait until there’s a class M or X!
In June 1991, my ex- and I were driving across South Dakota (in separate cars, but linked with ham radio), and when we left Rapid City, I thought it was the lights from Pierre, but long after we’d gone past Pierre, they were there, and then suddenly, it “dawned” on me that this was the aurora. (I’m not apologizing for the pun.)
Well, all we got in Spokane was a red-violet glow to the sky—very subtle, no waterfalls of light. 🙁
But with a new Solar Maximum coming, we should get another chance.
clear sky last night and nothing – I guess I am not far enough North