Spaceweather.com reports:
A strong-to-severe geomagnetic storm is in progress following the impact of a coronal mass ejection (CME) at approximately 12:15 UT on Sept. 26th.
The Goddard Space Weather Lab reports a “strong compression of Earth’s magnetosphere. Simulations indicate that solar wind plasma [has penetrated] close to geosynchronous orbit starting at 13:00UT.” Geosynchronous satellites could therefore be directly exposed to solar wind plasma and magnetic fields. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for Northern and Southern Lights after nightfall.
Having already unleashed two X-flares since Sept. 22nd, sunspot AR1302 appears ready for more. The active region has a complex “beta-gamma-delta” magnetic field that harbors energy for strong M- and X-classeruptions. Flares from AR1302 will become increasingly geoeffective as the sunspot turns toward Earth in the days ahead.
On Sunday, Sept. 25th, Dutch astrophotographer Emil Kraaikamp took a magnificent picture of the active region, which is so big only half of it fits on the screen. Click to view the entire sunspot:
The WUWT Solar reference page has more data and imagery.
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Where do you guys find this stuff. 24 hours later that is still a very interesting graph. Thanks for posting the link.
Space weather is just another excuse the government uses to scare people into surrendering more money to it. Wake me if my power goes out.
I heard something similar in Michigan Sunday afternoon. I figured military moving some heavy equiment. I figured maybe C-5.
Solar storm delivers ‘glancing blow’ to Earth
Tue Sep 27, 2011 8:49pm GMT
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFS1E78Q0RW20110927
The northern lights were seen last night as far south as Michigan, New York, South Dakota and Maine in the United States, and also from Europe and New Zealand. It was the strongest geomagnetic storm since October 2003.
A HD video of what the northern lights look like during a strong geomagnetic storm as we had yesterday can be seen at http://www
Could not see them in the 38 / 39 N latitude range here out West. Too far away from the tighter magnetic flux zone nearer the magnetic pole.
I cannot say why the Southern Sunspot belt is weaker/more diffuse, but it is there:
http://www.robertb.darkhorizons.org/TempGr/uvp2324a.PNG
I’m sure Leif knows why, as this is not the only cycle to display this behavior, nor is it uncommon.
Doug in Seattle says:
September 26, 2011 at 11:40 pm
Interesting that 3 of us heard this sound in the PNW. Did anyone elsewhere hear the deep base rumbling at about 2:40 to 3:00 PM PDT (where PDT=UTC 0800).
I heard it too. Near Leavenworth WA…very strange. I thought it might have been thunder but there was no thunder activity around.
That sunspot can be seen without a telescope:
http://spaceweather.com/swpod2011/27sep11/sunset.jpg
M.A.Vukcevic says:
September 27, 2011 at 2:08 pm
Solar storm delivers ‘glancing blow’ to Earth
Tue Sep 27, 2011 8:49pm GMT
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFS1E78Q0RW20110927
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And today http://www.spaceweather.com is reporting that aurora in Norway (spectaculor) are still being produced through magnetic reverb two days later.
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“”REVERBERATIONS: A CME hit Earth’s magnetic field on Sept. 26th, sparking one of the strongest magnetic storms in years. At the peak of the Kp=8 disturbance, auroras were sighted around both poles and more than half a dozen US states. Magnetic reverberations continued for more than 48 hours. Here is the view from forests of Skibotn, Norway, two days after the CME impact
http://www.spaceweather.com/images2011/29sep11/reverberations.jpg
“The auroras were some of the most spectacular I have ever witnessed,” says photographer Ole C. Salomonsen. “Actually it was the sickest thing I have ever seen in the sky!!” “”
~
Magnetic reverberation two days later..Did Ole really mean “sickest” or thickest thing he has ever seen in the sky??
Vuks back to that surface field in the Atlantic.. its like a cogs on the wheel those currents, and the SAA and the Van Allen belt rite below it or above howeever you chose rto look at it.. But souce surface fields are big in the planetary system at present just ask Sol, his polar fields are sqaushed almost seemingly by another magnetic force pressing against it Might even be dented on one side of the field, sorta like the Van Allen Raditation Belts have a dent in the SAA.
I suspect Ole typo’d “slickest”.
;D