Aurora Borealis Event This Weekend

Who isn't transfixed at the beauty of shimmering curtains and ripples marching across the vast dark night heavens...the constellations sparkling through them as diamonds on velvet ?

I watch for light events from several sources, NASA, CSA, and groups who keep track of sun storm activity to make videos .

There is supposed to be a sizable sun storm influencing this beautiful planet's Electromagnetic field tonight on into the weekend....large enough to hopefully allow more southerly states to view them .

Rain and snow has also been covering the region of the west here, all day. I'm not complaining, after last summer's dryness. There is supposed to be clearing, however, tomorrow , and who knows for other areas in the country and Canada...but in case the skies clear, keep looking up.

Lately, there have been some astounding flares, making for lovely shots and videos from locals in various countries around the northern pole.

The lovely song by David Mallett is in my mind now..."Northern Lights"....

The first link is one of my favorites , CSA , which gives shots of the lights in real time every night and reviews of the former night in fast time. A great site to browse around in.

Keep looking up !

https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronomy/northern-lights/auroramax-observatory.asp

I saw them several times, they make ya think.

I only ever saw them here twice in my lifetime but lots of times while in Canada.

Boys and I just rolled into Valentine NE and are hoping we can see them up here.

My last caribou hunt last spring. This ribbon came out from between the mountain and they were so low!



And by the time I finished butchering.

That is one thing I would love to see.

Very nice shots, Ryan !

They do inspire awe and somber thought indeed.

Here are some shots from folks in different places , from recent activity this month... Canada and Alaska mainly....for anticipation where the skies are clear enough.

The last one is from the space station.

X2

Merritt reservoir is one of the darkest, least light polluted places in the country. If you can’t see them I doubt anyone in the state will.

I first saw the lights in 1974 on a mountain top in NW Wyoming. No colors just white curtains. Moved to Alaska in 78 so they have mostly been an annual thing since.

It's supposed to be mostly cloudy in FAI all weekend. I'm afraid there will be limited opportunity to see them.

Here's some more shots from the same areas, very recent, just a few days old. Very powerful sun events going on now.

I have seen the sky here and in N Idaho lit up like daytime , several years ago. In all the colours you can imagine. Seems like there's a good chance it will clear up tonight.

As the sun storms hit the earth's poles I will keep things updated here as to what others in Alaska , Canada, Norway, Lapland, Iceland, Russia, and others are catching on cam. Many are also sharing astounding videos.

On the CSA link posted here, below the live cam , click on " Video of auroras from previous nights" . Last night's video is posted in fast time. Partway in, it begins a bit. The latest sun hit is beginning. It even looks neat through the clouds.

Tonight should really show.

I love the Northland....

Wow incredibly beautiful is an understatement.
I hope to see it in person one day

Thank you for the pics, Sharon. I have seen the arora many times, but just in the weak sheets of green and red way to the north. Not often we get the strong magnetic storms that you can see them in Ks, but it helped the winters I trapped in Wy, they were more vivid there! Think I'll take a peek tonight and tomorrow! Thanks for the info!

Hippie ...you sure it was the lights...or just bad acid ,back in the day ....

Clouds here tonight.

Beautiful pictures, Sharon.

Run, yes the folks who took those are great, from different countries as well as USA.

Well last night they didn't start til the wee hours of the morning , then people got some good shots , from Alaska, Canada, Iceland. We will see what happens tonight. They are probably going strong even now , it's just daytime !

Here's some from last night. I love seeing the big dipper and the north star through them , as in the last two photos.

Wow! It didn't do squat here last night. I was up til 1;00 too.

JM, yes it didn't do much most of the night in the northerly places , not til near morning. Hopefully now it has had a chance to get here and will be on tonight ! I think these sun events can be like the weather , fronts that are seen building can come in a bit later than expected.

You did good waiting up anyway ! I'm hoping tonight will be much better. Keeping an eye on the folks who drive to video these things helps me a lot.

OK peeps, one of the administrators for the Northern Lights group watch posted this...

"About last night: Classic X Flare Bust
So, last night certainly didn't behave exactly as hoped. This is the thing about high expectation events ... they have an equally high opportunity for disappointment, since a lot can happen in the 150,000,000 km between here and the Sun.
NOAA has kicked the Kp7 forecast down the road to this afternoon, anticipating that the CME could be 24 hours late (this is why I always add a +/-24hr margin of error to event forecasts). Personally, I'm not holding my breath; IF the CME is 24 hours late, it might be a LOT slower than expected and might not have enough speed to drive conditions up to Kp7."

Deciding to dig into this further, I got some explanations along the way.....the group is very helpful. There's also a Canadian group I monitor too, just as helpful. Below are some comment answers I received.

"Wait and see. Sometimes they arrive early, sometimes late, others just miss the planet, skip off the magnetosphere, etc. "

"the Auroras are space weather so yep, just like the weather on earth"

"Remember that this is a space weather forecast not an aurora forecast. The forecast is needed for safety of the power grid and satellites, gps, etc. Then, the forecast can be used for predicting aurora."

"If it shows up during local daylight (so a few hours early/late) you can't see it even though it may be clear skies and spectacularly powerful."

"At the moment, all we have is a confirmed CME (coronal mass ejection) from the Sun headed our way. BUT, it's travelling 150,000,000 km to get here, and a lot can happen along the way. So, we wait."

I learned space weather is much like weather on the planet here . Fronts can slow, delay, change direction slightly.

Even if it redirected a bit or stalled, there were still some good turnouts for others in the right areas, as I posted today of last night's captures.

Everyone is still waiting for tonight . NOAH is resetting the delay for this afternoon into tonight. No matter what, I love this time of year , fall into winter, and look to see them anytime .

I'll keep y'all posted .

Some more shots from last night.

We will see how they do tonight !

Looks like a dragon.

Yes it does ! I even thought of Pegasus in flight too .

What's neat is that there are so many aurora hunters across the globe that share what they video . Most of us are tired and not wanting to stay out all night as they do, so we all get to see what they did .

Though enjoying the lights in person whenever possible is unforgettable .

Those are great. Thanks

Pawnee yes they still had a nice show in places , even though the space weather didn't hit as right on as previously hoped for.

Here's more from last night . Other events are in the making all winter , and it will be so good to see the results. Just check in at times, especially on the CSA link , they have that camera on all winter when the lights show up.

Keep looking up !

Well it finally hit last night ! A bit late but what a show all over the pole. Clicking on the CSA link will show last nights show there. Seeeee ? It did get here !
Here they are , from all over !
Manitoba

Montana

NWT


Ontario

Yukon


Alberta

Norway

Maine

Wisconsin


Minnesota



Spokane, WA

New Zealand

Alberta



A few more loading next !

Alberta

Last of best...Alaska !
















There's a bunch more coming in as people post them, along with some amazing videos.

Anyway, here is a sample of among the most beautiful of northern skies for you .

If you have CB or 10 meter radio, turn it on at night and you will know when they are visible by the sound of the voice and were the transmissions are coming from

I was in Northwest Ontario years back and we were out recovering bears. 2:00am. I pulled over ont ehhiway and the hunters were like what is the problem. I said look at that, and they were all amazed one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

Dave, that would be great to do. I used to have CB home set with a big mule kicker booster...haven't had that for a long time. It was fun.


Yes BT , they are amazing.

I've had the sky lit up all around here some years ago...I was on a frozen lake with just ice-no snow. Ice skating at night. The lights reflected off the ice as a mirror, and it felt as if I was suspended in space among the colours ....it was an overwhelming experience for me.


Did you know the lights even make a sound ?? If the conditions are right....it is unearthly.....

Solar flares are what old time ham operators live for.
To bad most of these guys are dead

My father and I loved communicating long distance my CB and Ham sets. When skip land occurred people from all over the world would talk to each other and mail each other cards.

Both Dad and myself had pretty big boosters and that helped a lot. No phone used , or cost.

I have had the song Northern Lights, by David Mallett in my head for several days now...especially last night..

What a dream to be on the snowy trail in the night, under the lights, my dreams coming true.

That is the exact rendition, Sir Ken....thank you !

ND last night, maybe I should say early this AM.

Saw them here in northern Maine this morning, I posted it to my FB page at 05:20. Nothing like we witness in Alaska but still nice to see.

I spent a winter in the NWT hauling fuel on the winter road . 100 miles up the ice they’re so bright you can shut off your lights and drive if you wanted
Very cool pictures everybody !

Not as brilliant but the wife and I saw it in east central Missouri. Just small changes in the northern horizon. Second time for me. Last time I was in Iowa trapping coons. Much better show.

MJM that's a great shot ! Nice open area to view.

So nice to see them in places like Maine, and all the way to Missouri !

I'll be restless , up tonight watching the CSA cam and other sources.

It's cloudy and raining now with snow in the peaks, so no looking out here tonight , at least now.