Space storm

[Dleg]

Anyone with a view of the norther sky should look outside tonight. You'll probably be able to see the Aurora, even from mid latitudes.  There is a pretty massive geomagnetic storm underway, due to a huge coronal mass ejection from the sun a couple days ago.

Check out the earth's magnetic field taking a beating in these NOAA model animations (gotta look today, or it might be over): 

Play the bottom one, it's the most impressive:

http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/geospace-magnetosphere-movies

 

[Dleg]

Good article on it so far, stating these are the largest flares in over a decade, knocking out radio communications etc.:

https://theconversation.com/massive-sunspots-and-huge-solar-flares-mean-unexpected-space-weather-for-earth-83677

 

[Road Guy]

All we have is smoke from the Forrest fires....

will look once the sun goes down and it clears up

 

[mudpuppy]

I'm looking,  but it's cloudy and raining.  Kept an eye out last night but it was cloudy then too. I haven't seen the aurora this far south in almost 25 years. 

 

[tj_PE]

same situation in WA. so much smoke can't see shit. usually can glimpse the auroras enough through the camera lens if you go to the mountains semi regularly, so frustrating that the world has to be burning and hinder my views. rude.

 

[snickerd3]

maybe that's why our tv signal has been shit lately

 

[snickerd3]

wish i knew about it sooner...its been clear skies in the evening lately

 

[Audi Driver P.E.]

Normally I can see it, but there is far too much smoke here right now.  Going on three weeks.

 

[Dleg]

I saw photos posted last night from as far south as Arkansas.  By the time nightfall hit Alaska, the best of it was over, although it did pick up again early this morning when I was asleep.  Nevertheless, we did get "decent" Auroras shortly after nightfall (~11:00), but not among the best.  I did manage to get some decent photos, even with the nearly full moon in the shot.

 

[Dleg]

Here's a cool gif showing this week's monster coronal mass ejections:

 

[tj_PE]

I saw photos posted last night from as far south as Arkansas.  By the time nightfall hit Alaska, the best of it was over, although it did pick up again early this morning when I was asleep.  Nevertheless, we did get "decent" Auroras shortly after nightfall (~11:00), but not among the best.  I did manage to get some decent photos, even with the nearly full moon in the shot.

and these photos would be where?  :waitwall:

 

[Dleg]

ON my camera, and of course I don't have the special Canon USB cable with me that would let me download...  

 

[Road Guy]

another thing that sucks about technology is the new wifi / Bluetooth cameras where you don't even need the cable

All ours are just 2 years old before that tech came out

 

[Dleg]

My camera is a 1st generation wifi camera, but the setup looked complicated so I never did it  

 

[tj_PE]

fun fact - you can get a usb memory card reader and just take your storage out of the camera and plug it into your pc. they cost like 8-12 dollars. i even got one to plug into my nonmicrosoftmobiledevicethatworkmademeget. 

 

[Dleg]

Yeah but then I have to take off my phone case so f that. 

I just figured out the wifi, downloaded the app onto my phone.  Will post my meager photos soon.

 

[Dleg]

Oh wait you were talking about the card in my camera - duh.  I could do that, I think my laptop has a reader.

 

[Dleg]

 

[Dleg]

 

[Dleg]

But compare these to pics I took a year ago on an "ordinary" night with the same camera and same settings, and you can see why i thought last night was a little disappointing: