Northern Lights? Good chance coming up

First warning at this magnitude since 2005. Last big storm was a G5 in 2003.
WashingtonCNN —
Buckle up: An unusual amount of solar activity this week could disrupt some of the most important technologies society relies on.

On Thursday, the US government issued its first severe geomagnetic storm watch in nearly 20 years, advising the public of “at least five earth-directed coronal mass ejections” as well as sunspots covering an area 16 times wider than the earth itself. A severe geomagnetic storm, or G4, is the second-highest grade in the US government’s classification system.

Radiation from this activity will begin to hit Earth’s magnetic field on Friday and last through the weekend, said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

NOAA’s severe space weather watch suggests the storm could trigger numerous effects for life on Earth, possibly affecting the power grid as well as satellite and high frequency radio communications. Here’s what that means for technology users.
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Severe space weather can jeopardize power grids, according to NOAA, whose alert this week said to expect “possible widespread voltage control problems” and that “some protective systems may mistakenly trip out key assets from the power grid.”

In 1989, a space weather event led to a massive blackout in Quebec, Canada for more than nine hours after geomagnetic fluctuations damaged transformers and other important equipment.

In October, an extreme geomagnetic storm stronger than the one predicted for this weekend led to power outages in Sweden and damaged power transformers in South Africa, the SWPC said.
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More stress on the big transformers some of which are already damaged...it's two year lead time to replace them if they fail.
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Might be worth a drive IF the aurora forecast firms up
G4 Watch - May 10, 2024.png
This is coming at the end of the latest solar cycle ( 11 years +/-)
We're hoping we might get some activity in Tasmania next month
 
For the best views you need to get away from the light and noise generated by cities.
for Toronto you can try these areas.
Dark Skies
 
wow - from the space weather site
Screen Shot 2024-05-11 at May, 11 2024 7.50.10 AM.jpg
oh to be in Iceland
We got one I would call spectacular coloured searchlight view for about 10 min and long red and green glows ( we were there in January ) but they look to be in for a treat now.

We would go to York Soaring up near Arthur and watch from the sailplane port ( 20 min from the Forks ) when there was a meteor shower. Should be okay for N Lights as well and there is a Tims nearby ( corner of 6 and 9 ) :rolleyes:
 
I lied...
0b42c5806238896e3e25441a7ae091d0.jpg


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Well done, right place, right time​

"Extreme" and very rare G5-level geomagnetic storm hits Earth​

684eaa85158db11a166af53cdc697ac0

ByEric Ralls
Earth.com staff writer
On Friday, April 12, 2024, at 6:54 pm EDT, extreme (G5) geomagnetic conditions reached Earth. This event followed G4 conditions first observed at 1:39 pm EDT and G3 conditions at 1:08 pm EDT.
Geomagnetic storming of varying intensity is likely to persist through the weekend, with Earth.com and the SWPC website serving as the best resource for warnings and alerts. :eek:
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www.earth.com

"Extreme" and very rare G5-level solar storm hits Earth on Saturday

On Friday, April 12, 2024, at 6:54 pm EDT, extreme (G5) geomagnetic conditions reached Earth. This event followed G4 at 1:39 pm EDT.
www.earth.com www.earth.com
Its a monster ....

and this in Australia
1715397699153.png
www.perthnow.com.au

Aurora australis puts on incredible WA display AGAIN

More stunning scenes have been captured of the aurora australis as it lights up the sky once again this evening.
www.perthnow.com.au www.perthnow.com.au
 
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and might be a decade before you see them again....that is a very rare event but it is going on all weekend,
There could be more events before the solar cycle ends.....then fugedaboudit.
Glad you got a look.
 
I totally forgot to go outside, but lots of friends did and posted on FB. Friend in UK also saw them. Visible from all around Ontario friends in Uxbridge to Sable Beach.

Will have to remind myself to go outside tonight!
 
MacDoc said:
and might be a decade before you see them again....that is a very rare event but it is going on all weekend,
There could be more events before the solar cycle ends.....then fugedaboudit.
Glad you got a look.
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I thought for Ontario it was only until 5am this morning? If not, then I'll definitely take a look tonight.
 
That's first CME wave -there are apparently 7 :eek:
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THE STORM IS NOT OVER: A CME hit Earth's magnetic field on May 10th, sparking the biggest geomagnetic storm in almost 20 years--an extreme (category G5) event. It is subsiding now (currently category G4), but it is not over. More CMEs are expected to hit Earth's magnetic field during the next 24-48 hours, and they could push the storm back to extreme levels. Stay tuned for updates! CME impact alerts: SMS Text
AURORAS IN FLORIDA! Many people around the world have just seen auroras for the first time in their lives. This includes residents of the Florida Keys. Ron Jarrell sends this photo from Big Pine Key at latitude 24.7° N:
"The auroras were so beautiful!" says Jarrell, who may have made the lowest latitude sighting during this storm. (Update: We now have a credible report of auroras in Puerto Rico!)​
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Aurora Australis - I took this photo just now in my backyard in Eildon in Victoria’s Central Highlands. I’ve been waiting all my life for this.

https://twitter.com/StellaMelbs/status/1789224057088676279/photo/1
 
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My photos were taken on a phone with the night setting and 4-6seconds exposure just in case it's on again tonight.

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This guy caught the moon, the aurora AND the ISS all in one shot √
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good read
spaceexplored.com

The Aurora wasn't even the coolest part

I finally captured a once-in-a-lifetime photo on my campus, but the human story trumped it all. Here are my takeaways from a historic night.
spaceexplored.com spaceexplored.com
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