Hi everyone!
I dont know alot of the ins and outs of mundane ast. yet..but i have been lurking here for awhile and find it so interesting

The carrington event listing in wikipedia notes some of the effects observed..
"...Aurorae were seen around the world, most notably over the Caribbean; also noteworthy were those over the Rocky Mountains that were so bright, the glow awoke gold miners, who began preparing breakfast because they thought it was morning
Telegraph systems all over Europe and North America failed.[4] Telegraph pylons threw sparks and telegraph paper spontaneously caught fire. Some telegraph systems appeared to continue to send and receive messages despite having been disconnected from their power supplies."

It is almost unfathomable to think of the consequences of an event like this happening in this electronic-dependant age..

here is a chart for the event time http://screencast.com/t/YTBlYzI2YTI
(wasnt sure really where or exact time..it just lists the day in wiki..?)

Uranus is squaring the sun at the time of the flare...(this also is immediately following a total eclipse in virgo)
Not sure if it means much, but I noticed the neptune and mars quincunx (in the exact signs and degrees as this year when solar cycle 24 began to rumble)...

Nasa's prediction for solar cycle 24 is for it to peak in 2013

"NASA's Solar Cycle #24 Prediction UPDATE - June 2010: Solar Cycle #24 is expected to peak in April or May 2013, with a peak sunspot number of 70. This is the lowest of any cycle since 1928 when Solar Cycle 16 peaked at 78," says panel chairman Doug Biesecker of the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center.NASA's Solar Cycle #24 Prediction It is tempting to describe such a cycle as "weak" or "mild," but that could give the wrong impression. "Even a below-average cycle is capable of producing severe space weather," points out Biesecker. "The great geomagnetic storm of 1859, for instance, occurred during a solar cycle of about the same size we?re predicting for 2013." The 1859 storm--known as the "Carrington Event".... "if a similar storm occurred today, it could cause $1 to 2 trillion in damages to society's high-tech infrastructure....".

Just for curiosities' sake, heres a chart for around that general time...
http://screencast.com/t/MzU3YjcwN2

Nasa has just posted not long ago about a phenomena called spacequakes...interesting stuff
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/sc ... acequakes/

"Acting together, vortices and spacequakes could have a noticeable effect on Earth. The tails of vortices may funnel particles into Earth's atmosphere, sparking auroras and making waves of ionization that disturb radio communications and GPS. By tugging on surface magnetic fields, spacequakes generate currents in the very ground we walk on. Ground current surges can have profound consequences, in extreme cases bringing down power grids over a wide area."

Hi everyone!
I dont know alot of the ins and outs of mundane ast. yet..but i have been lurking here for awhile and find it so interesting

Hello Chinook,

Welcome to the forum. Glad you have de-lurked I am happy to hear you are finding the mundane forum interesting. Dont feel shy to start a fresh topic yourself if something mundane takes your interest.

Thanks for all the updates too on Sun spot activity, auroras and spacequakes! Very interesting.

Regarding the spacequakes from what I have read it appears these are happening several times a day? I presume the article is talking about 'Super-Spacequakes'!

Sorry to be obtuse but is the plasma causing Superquakes coming directly from the Sun like a solar storm?

Thanks

Mark

Ps Looks like April-May 2013 is the time to book my trip to see auroras!

Mark wrote:
Sorry to be obtuse but is the plasma causing Superquakes coming directly from the Sun like a solar storm?

Thanks

Mark

Ps Looks like April-May 2013 is the time to book my trip to see auroras!

hey mark
the magnetic reverberations in earths magnetosphere are caused by the solar wind...the article gives a visual kind of like a windsock.. "Sometimes the tail can become so stretched and tension-filled, it snaps back like an over-torqued rubber band."

Hello chinook,

Thanks for the clarification and the groovy pic

Spectacular Northern Lights

An explosion on the Sun yesterday, September 26. 2011, caused spectacular Northern Lights that were visable in the Southern parts of Norway from about 23.00hrs CEST. Deep dark red huges became visable as the colored lights literally seemed to rain from the zenit. At one point half the upper hemisphere was covered. I have seem the Northern Lights before, but this was extrodinary. Aftenposten have a series of photographs from my area just outside Oslo that may be viewed here: (Link)
Photo: Svend O. Kvilesj?

The event was warned by NASA. By coincidence it occurs as the Sun forms a tight T-square with Uranus and Pluto.

Source: Aftenposten

I recommend that anyone interested check the link at Aftenposten again. They have added more pictures, some of them breathtaking and much more like I experienced the highlights the evening.

Source: Aftenposten

Thanks Andrew,

Awe inspiring

Just curious was the colour green from your viewpoint or were other colours detectable as in some of the photos?

Mark

It is like a sea green, isn't it? Yes, this is what it looks like in the sky. When it really takes off, both the play of rays and colours is quite amazing. This photo taken by Andr? Granly shows how the light spread from a pinpoint in the zenith and down.
Photo: Andr? Granly

Fullsize images: Aftenposten