Comments on: Shimmering purple aurora after a powerful solar storm

By: Ian Dodd

Ian Dodd — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 16:03:51 +0000

Crazy coincidence: I was just kayaking on Sparks Lake just last week (where this photo was taken) and hours later looking at that sunspot group through an H-alpha scope at the Oregon Observatory in Sunriver. Talk about spooky action at a distance!

By: Matt B.

Matt B. — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 21:22:19 +0000

“The aurora does seem to be more blue in the water, so perhaps the red isn’t being reflected as well.”

And yet some of the stars are reflected better. Weird.

By: sam

sam — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 18:39:14 +0000

https://vimeo.com/45886844

they must have been together

By: Messier Tidy Upper

Messier Tidy Upper — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 07:35:41 +0000

Off topic, sorry, but figured many of the folks here might be interested in this :

http://www.nature.com/news/nasa-set-to-choose-low-cost-solar-system-mission-1.10982

Plans and a poll for future NASA missions – personally hoping they *all* go ahead and then many more too.

My own suggestion to NASA would be to send an orbiter /lander combination to visit Pluto plus ones to Ouranos and Neptune too. Remember we’ve only mapped less than half of Triton for instance and there’s sure to be plenty new sights and discoveries to be made on the outer planets and their moons.

By: Messier Tidy Upper

Messier Tidy Upper — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 07:35:15 +0000

Whoah! Yegods that’s one superluminous (beyond merely brilliant) image. Cheers!

By: Ozonator aka Robert Rhodes

Ozonator aka Robert Rhodes — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 06:41:17 +0000

http://www.universetoday.com/96213/astrophotos-monster-sunspot-evolution/

By: Science Tidbits for July 17, 2012 « Teaching Sapiens

Science Tidbits for July 17, 2012 « Teaching Sapiens — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 02:25:01 +0000

[...] solar flare powerful enough to be visible in Central Kentucky. Phil Plait not only has coverage of the most recent flare, but like he suggests, check out his related links for far more information than I could possibly [...]

By: Greg

Greg — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 02:04:47 +0000

The yellow light near the horizon, is that an effect from the atmosphere? Like when the sun appears red in the evening? Or is that yellow color also coming from the aurora?

By: Brian

Brian — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 02:04:25 +0000

We in New Zealand had a brilliant aurora on Sunday night especially. People as far north as 45^south had clear views of it. I am somewhat further north than this (40.5^south) and didn’t see it but I have seen aurora from here in the past. Hopefully, I will see another one soon.

By: MadScientist

MadScientist — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 21:49:55 +0000

Since the particles are charged, the earth’s magnetic field protects us. Unless you live close enough to the magnetic poles you don’t have to worry about losing electricity during one of these events either.

@David#7: Aurorae should not be polarized (after all it’s caused by a cascade of high energy particles producing X-rays, liberating electrons, and causing the glow). The aurora does seem to be more blue in the water, so perhaps the red isn’t being reflected as well.