EARTH-DIRECTED ERUPTION

EARTH-DIRECTED ERUPTION: On Saturday, February 9th, around 0640 UT, a magnetic filament in the sun's northern hemisphere erupted, hurling a coronal mass ejection (CME) toward Earth. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured the UV flash from the underlying C2-class solar flare:

The CME, which was captured in flight by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, billowed away from the sun at 800 km/s. The bulk of the cloud looks like it will sail north of Earth. Nevertheless, a glancing blow is possible as shown in this 3D model of the CME prepared by analysts at the Goddard Space Flight Center. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras on Feb. 12th when the CME passes by. Solar flare alerts: text, voice. 

Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery

 

NORTHERN LIGHTS: As predicted, a solar wind stream hit Earth's magnetic field on Feb. 8th, sparking bright auroras around the Arctic Circle. "It was mindblowing," says Sindre Nedrevåg who watched the show from Bodø, Norway:

"Along with the Milky Way and a meteor we saw that lasted for three long seconds, the Northern Lights were just awesome," adds Nedrevåg. It was a good night to be outdoors.

Tonight could be another good night. NOAA forecasters estimate a 25% chance of polar geomagnetic storms as Earth's magnetosphere continues to reverberate from the solar wind impact. Aurora alerts: text, voice.

Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery

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