The solar storm that erupted from the Sun yesterday reached the Earth today at about 15:00 UTC (10:00 a.m. Eastern US time). The wave of subatomic particles has been impacting the Earth’s magnetic field, and we’re starting to see some auroral activity:
Isn’t that lovely? That was taken at 18:00 UTC today from a webcam in Abisko, Sweden. Can you see the handle of the Big Dipper right below the green curtain? [More aurora webcam sites are listed below.]
The two biggest questions I’m getting on Twitter and Google+ are 1) is there any danger to this storm, and b) can I see the aurora from [my location]?
First, no, we’re not in any danger from this event. Even though it sounds terrifying — an explosion the equivalent of billions of nuclear weapons launching hundreds of millions of tons of subatomic particles Earthward at speeds of million of kilometers per hour! — we’re pretty well protected down here on the surface. The Earth’s magnetic field catches the particles, and most of those get dumped harmlessly in our upper atmosphere. That can create the aurora displays, but won’t dose everyone with radiation and give them superpowers.
Sorry. [UPDATE (19:00 UTC): a ground current surge was reported in Sweden, but so far that's the only physical impact I've heard of.]
But the aurorae are pretty cool, and that brings us to the second question. The answer depends on where you are, and when it’s dark out. As I write this, activity is on the rise. Here are some live webcams for aurorae, some of which are showing spectacular activity! Note they only show views when it’s nighttime locally:
As for seeing them wherever you are, that’s tough to say. The Geophysical Institute has a map showing predicted activity for North America, for example, and NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center has a continuously updated map showing auroral activity for both hemispheres. Universe Today has a guide on how to see the aurorae, and Astronomy magazine has a discussion of aurorae, too.
I’m getting conflicting info on potential aurorae tonight; the webcams in Scandinavia listed above are showing strong (and gorgeous) activity, but the prediction for Canada and the US appear moderate at best. But don’t let that discourage you! If you have clear skies, go outside once it’s good and dark and take a look. Even if there’s no aurora, you can see Venus and the thin crescent Moon to the west right after sunset, and that’s always a plus. And if things perk up, you might get a nice light show to the north, too!
Related posts:
- The Sun aims a storm right at Earth: expect aurorae tonight!
- Time lapse: The Aurora
- JAW DROPPING Space Station time lapse!
- Stunning Finnish aurora time lapse
January 24th, 2012 at 11:47 am
Why are you tormenting me?
Where I live is usually a very good spot to see aurora, but it will be completely overcast…
January 24th, 2012 at 11:51 am
Kind of sad that people are so scientifically illiterate that they think pretty standard CME will hurt them.
January 24th, 2012 at 12:04 pm
Aww Shoot. I wanted to get a superpower or two. Seeing into the Infrared would be one I’d pick.
I did work with IBM doing the Y2K computer upgrades, and had the opportunity to go up to Flin Flon and the aurora were quite the site.
January 24th, 2012 at 12:12 pm
What you see in that north-Swedish screenshot is *always* there: this is the typical green aurora you see almost every clear night in these geomagnetic latitudes, and it has nothing at all to do with the CME impact earlier today. Case in point are these impressions from northern Norway from last November when the geomagnetic activity was low all the time. To find out whether something extraordinary is going on aurora-wise one has to track webcams – and magnetometer data – much further south, way outside the normal auroral oval. If they act up, a geomagnetic storm is really under way.
January 24th, 2012 at 12:34 pm
No superpowers? But what am I going to do with this Aurora-Man costume now? Sure, the power to produce a pretty light show doesn’t seem like a good fit for crime fighting, but I could have rented myself out for parties!
Oh well, maybe I’ll get to see some pretty lights tonight.
January 24th, 2012 at 12:46 pm
I don’t see Palmerston North, New Zealand on that list.
January 24th, 2012 at 12:55 pm
[...] vom letzten Jahr (ohne nennenswerte Sonnen-Action) verdeutlichen: Ein Bezug zum CME-Impakt wie hier oder hier hergestellt ist kaum gegeben. Weitere mehr oder weniger recherchierte Artikel ‘zur [...]
January 24th, 2012 at 12:58 pm
You are assuming I do not already have super powers from a previous incident!
January 24th, 2012 at 1:09 pm
I live in the right area (the map shows green over my city), but we will have clouds until late this evening according to environment canada… I will still go out and look!!
January 24th, 2012 at 1:25 pm
We’re all doomed! Run!
January 24th, 2012 at 1:41 pm
Is this what Ace of Base meant when they “saw the light”? :p
January 24th, 2012 at 1:41 pm
It figures……. After a couple of weeks of clear skies, it is totally overcast here tonight! mumble.. mumble…mumble……. stomp stomp stomp….. SLAM!
January 24th, 2012 at 2:17 pm
yeah. overcast here tonight too. snow predicted. grrrr. no biggy though. i have seen the aurora before.
haven’t seen a comet*. or supernova.
*with the naked eye and a looooooong tail like the last two. curses southern hemisphere!11!!!1!
January 24th, 2012 at 2:27 pm
Larian, actually Ace of Base saw the sign, not the light.
The maps show us on the extreme southern edge for viewing, here’s hoping the skies clear like they’re supposed to this evening!
January 24th, 2012 at 2:37 pm
I will take a gander tonight, but I am pretty far top the South in Los Angeles.
January 24th, 2012 at 3:55 pm
[...] Ecco l’aurora osservata ieri in Svezia e riportata dall’ottimo sito Bad Astronomy: [...]
January 24th, 2012 at 3:59 pm
If we were to see the pretty lights down here in central Texas (clouds or no clouds), that would some mighty CME. Probably do some damage. In the past it had to be X or greater to be seen in the Panhandle.
January 24th, 2012 at 6:24 pm
Phil, is it true that the aurorae do not make an audible sound? Because I swear I heard a crackling noise coming from them on multiple occasions.
January 24th, 2012 at 7:08 pm
A friend of mine has reported seeing aurora in Greenville, SC tonight under very dark sky conditions. Take that for what you will. I went out looking a little further South in Charleston, SC (well, just northwest of Charleston) and didn’t see anything, but I have very poor viewing conditions especially when looking toward the horizon.
January 24th, 2012 at 8:21 pm
It’s supposed to be visible near the horizon from Chicago, but it’s too cloudy to see anything but the city lights. I’ve never seen aurorae, and I really hope I get to one of these days.
January 24th, 2012 at 8:33 pm
Will I be able to witness the phenomenon? I live in India and its gonna be around 8.30pm , 25-Jan here when its 10am in eastern US.
January 24th, 2012 at 8:41 pm
Is it even possible to ever see the aurora in a city as light polluted as, say, Chicago?
January 24th, 2012 at 10:24 pm
No lights here tonight, unfortunately — it’s too cloudy. Still, I remember seeing a green CME aurora some years back, which seemed to cover the whole sky.
January 24th, 2012 at 11:50 pm
Bjørn Jørgensen has some beautiful shots from Norway at http://spaceweather.com/aurora/gallery_01jan12_page2.htm
January 25th, 2012 at 6:24 am
Gonzo, maybe if you were looking over the lake, but otherwise you probably wouldn’t see it all that well if it were even visible at all. On any really clear night, I’m lucky if I can make out even a handful of stars.
Being able to see the stars is the one thing I miss about living in a small town.
January 25th, 2012 at 11:44 am
I’ve created a time lapse video from the images captured past night from here: http://www.virtualtromso.no/en/northern-lights/138-live-northern-lights-activity-and-forecast.html between 9:47 PM and 2:05 AM
You can download the file here: http://f.gethopper.com/xCEwyT6fDAHqecTpM1nWTDaMZ1TG/Tromso_all-sky_camera.mp4
January 25th, 2012 at 2:58 pm
Hi Phil,
there is a nice video from aurora watchers in lappland from the night january 24th!
http://vimeo.com/35618405
Wolfgang
Bad Lippspringe, Germany