THE SUN IS ALIVE!
Solar physicists are expecting an uptick in stormy “space weather,” with implications that affect us here on Earth…
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting that a solar outburst could generate northern lights or aurora as far south as Oregon to Pennsylvania.
This is the flare to begin “Solar Cycle 25.” It’s alive.
The National Weather Service’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) has issued a Geomagnetic Storm Watch for Earth which starts today and extends through Friday, with tomorrow being the peak day for potential problems. Because of the strength of inbound energy, a G3 Watch is in effect for Thursday which indicates a “strong” event is possible.
GEOMAGNETIC STORM WARNING: It’s coming. A coronal mass ejection (CME) is heading for Earth, and geomagnetic storms are possible when it arrives later today or tomorrow. NOAA forecasters expect the most intense disturbances to occur on Dec. 10th with peak storm levels nea r category G3. If that happens, auroras could be sighted in the USA in states as far south as, e.g., Illinois and Oregon
There is a negative and positive to these events.
First the positive is the beauty..This particular storm could trigger an aurora to in the clear, light-pollution free skies of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, Oregon, and Idaho…
The negative: Disruption of technology like radio.. electrical systems.. radio communications, and navigation..
For historical significance, Pennsylvania does not see the ‘northern lights.’ Unless it is a big enough solar event.
This time it may be.
The “old timers” among us may recall a beautiful event that was seen in the skies the night of September 27, 1938 — my own father told me that his own father told him, just as Hitler was taking the world into war, people were dancing in the streets under light shows in the sky. ..
That interesting even was captured by the Associated Press in a report from State College Pennsylvania on September 29, 1938. The AP reported at that time that the lights were the most brilliant since 1908. The lights were called unusually bright and brilliant.
Other past solar storms have caused power failures and technology problems..
The ‘Civil War Aurora’ was seen on December 14, 1862 by Civil War soldiers in Fredericksberg Virginia. According to a letter by Milo Grow “There was a brilliant exhibition of Aurora Borealis soon after dark last night. For half an hour it shows very brilliantly reaching to the mid heavens in colors of yellow and red.
The most recent major solar storm occurred on Halloween night in 2003. Halloween Storm spawned auroras that were seen over most of North America. Extensive satellite problems were reported, including the loss of the $450 million Midori-2 research satellite..
Solar Cycle 25 promises more extraordinary events.
Hopefully most steer clear of Earth and our technology in 2021.
