Aurora Borealis ALERT

[DentyCracker]

Yeah those coronal mass ejections can be lots of fun ooohhhh yeaahhh!!!

[Jord]

A mass ejection was recorded, as animations suggest, the shock wave will probably arrive late. Forecasters estimate a 30% chance of active magnetic conditions at middle-latitudes

How's sex like that, huh?

Jord.

[Brian R.]

Sounds like sex with a statistician.

[SCompRacer]

After the 24th, we had a few of our experimental "keyless entry" Fed Ex trucks with intermittent no starts. These have a transponder, which is worn upon the wrist, that are read by a signal sending reader at each door. All doors have magnetic switches and must be closed for the ignition reader to start the vehicle.

Capitalizing on Greebe's announcement along with the media attention, I wrote an e mail to my manager pointing out this geomagnetic disturbance and the possible cause of the no starts.

The explanation sounded believable until I asked to be appointed to a team to study this phenomenon before these were put into production. I figured someone in the Ivory Towers in Memphis would buy it, but alas my boss would have none of it and wanted the real explanation.

Mis-aligned and weak magnets on the door closed sensors was all I found, but that sounds too boring.

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Maybe I can approach from a different angle, like effects of heat and humidity on magnetic fields. Any help out there?



[This message has been edited by SCompRacer (edited 16 May 2000).]

[Greebe]

Space Weather News for May 16, 2000

On May 15 a coronagraph on the ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
captured rare images of a full halo coronal mass ejection with 4 planets
and the Pleiades in the field of view. Material from the eruption could
arrive in the neighborhood of Earth on May 17 or 18.

For more information and animations, visit http://www.spaceweather.com

[Greebe]

Actually guys it can be on film (as Jord's pics prove). The difficulty lies with the low illuminosity of this phenomenom. If a very fast lens and "hypered" film is used, it's easily captured.
Hypered film is used in Astrophotography and can be made at home (with a couple hundred $$ invested) or ordered. Any high end/professional photography store can point you in the right direction. Another means is to pick up a copy of Astronomy or Sky & Telescope mag. and look through the suppliers in the back.

P.S. this also takes special development processing so the Photomart around the corner won't work.

[Greebe]

Space Weather News for June 6, 2000

An intense "X-class" solar flare today was followed by a full-halo coronal mass ejection. Material from the leading edge of the disturbance is expected to arrive on Thursday, June 8, with possible auroral displays to follow.

AND>

Space Weather News for June 7, 2000

Following close on the heels of yesterday's two X-class solar flares, a third powerful X-class flare erupted today at approximately 1545 UT. Soon afterward, coronagraphs on the orbiting Solar and Heliospheric Observatory detected a faint full halo coronal mass ejection. It appears to be heading in the direction of Earth at ~800 km/s. This latest full halo CME will probably extend the geomagnetic disturbances expected to begin on Thursday when an interplanetary shock wave spawned by a CME on June 6 collides with
our planet's magnetosphere. Aurora watchers are advised to be on the alert for Northern Lights beginning after sunset on Thursday, June 8.

For more information, please visit http://www.spaceweather.com

I'll be on a plane at 35,000ft thurssday night, and hope all us LAN Party goers will have a great display this weekend.

[Greebe]

Space Weather News for June 8, 2000

A vigorous shock wave passed NASA's ACE solar wind monitoring spacecraft this morning at 0842 UT. Disturbances detected by ACE usually reach Earth about an hour later. This disturbance was the leading edge of a gigantic bubble of gas ejected from the Sun on June 6. It's been expanding toward our planet for the past day and a half. For more information and updates please visit http://www.spaceweather.com


Sounds like the Burrito I ate last night, Oy!

[Jorden]

800km/sec = 2,880,000km/hour... what is a thing to compare that speed with? How fast will the Enterprise go?

Btw, what does a gas bubble from the sun smell like?

Jord.

[This message has been edited by Jorden (edited 08 June 2000).]

[2K]

"How fast will the Enterprise go?"

Warp 9.8 or 9.9 ?

[The PIT]

Well bugger it it's cloudy again.

[Greebe]

Space Weather News for July 13, 2000

Stargazers in both hemispheres are advised to watch for auroras tonight as the result of a strong solar wind disturbance that struck Earth's magnetosphere at approximately 0940 UT (5:40 a.m. EDT) on July 13th. The strong geomagnetic storm that started this morning may now be subsiding, but another interplanetary shock wave is expected to arrive on July 14th and extend the current period of geomagnetic unrest. Auroral displays at middle latitudes are possible (but by no means guaranteed) around local
midnight on July 13th through 15th. For more information please visit Spaceweather

Photographers who capture pictures of Northern or Southern Lights during the next few days are invited to send their images as attachments to webmaster@spaceweather.com for display on SpaceWeather.com.

[The PIT]

Guess what? It's going to be cloudy again although I guess I'm going to be to far south anyway.

[Jord]

So this means the Earth is going to die tonight? Another mass coronal ejection and we're dead, right?

Jord.

[Greebe]

Space Weather News for July 14, 2000

This morning an X5-class solar flare, one of the most powerful flares of the current solar cycle, triggered a proton storm in the neighborhood of our planet. Just after the eruption, coronagraphs on board the ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory recorded a full halo coronal mass ejection heading toward Earth at greater than 1000 km/s. Please visit Spaceweather.com for details and updates on this developing story.