Extreme geomagnetic storm

[RMC]

Watch out for the Northern lights people....and don't fly at a higher level than you need to!

SPACE WEATHER ADVISORY BULLETIN #11- 4
2011 September 26 at 03:00 p.m. MDT (2011 September 26 2100 UTC)

**** EARLY AUTUMN GEOMAGNETIC STORM ****

A Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) that erupted from NOAA Active Region 1302
on Saturday September 24 in conjunction with an M7 strength solar
flare, arrived this morning at 1237 UT (8:37am Eastern Time). It has
kicked off moderate (G2) geomagnetic storms for low latitudes, but high
latitudes are seeing severe (G4) levels of activity. Aurora watchers
in Asia and Europe are most favorably positioned for this event, though
it may persist long enough for viewers in North America. The bulk of
the CME missed the Earth, meaning the storm intensity and duration are
less than what they would have been in the case of a direct hit.
Region 1302 remains capable of producing more activity and will be in a
favorable position for that activity to have impacts on Earth for the
next 3-5 days.

[captjns]

Link to the website for you space jockeys out there

Space Weather Advisory Bulletin


Today's Space Weather

Solar Activity Forecast: Solar activity is expected to remain at moderate levels on day one (27 September). Low to moderate levels are expected on day two (28 September) and predominantly low levels are expected on day three (29 September). Region 1302 remains the most active Region on the disk but has only produced one M-class event over the past 24 hours.

Geophysical Activity Forecast: The geomagnetic field is expected to be at unsettled to active levels for the next two days (27-28 September) with a slight chance for minor storm levels, due to the trailing effects of the latest CME and the possible arrival of a second CME. A return to
predominately quiet levels is expected on day three (29 September).

[Dani]

Preparing for a trip to the Falkland Island, can someone confirm if CMEs also are in place on the southern polar regions? There are polar lights on the south poles (I've never seen one), but I don't know about the phenomen mentioned above. Any specialists here around?

Why would you fly lower? To evade the CME? I think it's irrelevant on what altitude you are as long as you are within the troposphere.

Thanks,
Dani

[wiggy]

Dani

can someone confirm if CMEs also are in place on the southern polar regions?

A Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) is a cloud of ionised gas ejected from the sun at high velocity. If the Earth ends up in the path of of a CME then you may well get aurora at both poles, as far as I'm aware you can't forecast if the effects are more likely to be seen at one pole or the other.


I'm not sure why the current event is getting so much publicity, if you routinely follow the websites captjns has linked to and/or subscribe to any of the space weather forecasting services you'll find CMEs routinely being reported on an almost weekly basis, and the energetic ones aren't that uncommon.

There are polar lights on the south poles (I've never seen one),

I've only seen the "Southern Lights, aka the Aurora Australis once and that was in flight overhead from Alice Springs - which was fairly unusual because that's a long way from the pole. Enjoy the Falklands...hope you get clear skies..