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AIA / LMSAL / NASA
A color-coded image from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory highlights the solar flare thrown off from the sun's disk today in shades of gold and yellow.
For the second day in a row, the sun has sent a blast of electrically charged particles toward Earth — and according to SpaceWeather.com, that means we're in for a double shot of geomagnetic activity early Saturday. But not to worry: The most noticeable effect of the twin M-class blasts should be heightened auroral displays.
Both of the coronal mass eruptions, or CMEs, originated in a sunspot region known as AR1504, which is currently pointing in Earth's direction. AR1504 has been shooting off a series of flares in recent days, including an M1.2-class flare on Wednesday and an M1.5 today. None of the flares have approached the X-class level, which would have the potential for significant disruptions in power grids or satellite-based communication.
SpaceWeather.com projects that the CMEs thrown off by those two flares will merge into one wave of particles that's due to hit Earth's magnetic field around 6:16 a.m. ET Saturday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center, meanwhile, predicts that the CME will arrive "late on 16 June." The prediction center noted that today's flare sparked a minor radio blackout and "has the potential" to produce more such storms.
Bottom line? Polar regions will have a better chance of seeing auroral lights over the weekend, although the midnight sun will put a damper on viewing in the north. If you catch a great auroral view, please consider sharing it with us via our FirstPerson upload page. In the meantime, keep a watch on SpaceWeather.com and the prediction center's Facebook page for updates — and feast your eyes on the imagery below:
NASA
NASA's STEREO-Ahead spacecraft records the massive coronal mass ejection thrown off by today's solar eruption. The glare of the sun's disk is blocked at the center of the image.
This video rounds up imagery of flares spotted by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory in the June 9-14 time frame, bursting out from the sun's AR1504 active region.
More sun imagery:
- Your views and videos of the Venus transit
- Thrill to a sunspot's parting shot
- Graphic: Anatomy of a solar storm
- Cosmic Log archive on the sun
Alan Boyle is msnbc.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.
Leave a Comment:
The Moon is only 18% illuminated tonight, rising locally at 2:40am (your moonrise will vary from 2:40am ± an hour), and heading for New Moon on Tuesday, so moonlight won't get in the way of aurora this weekend.
This has the potential to be larger-than-average aurora. Get somewhere dark to see the show!
Eh. We'll be under a thick blanket of clouds this weekend, so won't see a thing. Again. I think someone is doing a very poor job of of scheduling these CME's, lol. Every one of them have come when we've had thick cloud cover. :(
Beautiful weather here in NJ, but we never get to see any auroras. :(
Brisaber, I have a theory that the CME's create that cloud cover! ;)
Just hang in there Brisaber. In August we will have the CME's you've been waiting for. Don't be surprised if they knock out everything electronically technical though, incluging your electricity.
Agree with TFNJ. I never get to see areolas either, despite my constant search.
Well if it knocks out the electricity, then I won't have to leave the city to see them, lol. But if it gets that bad, guess I'll have other things on my mind rather than looking up to see the aurora.
It is not harmful to our earth.
Our eyes in the skies are really great now ....
And it seems like NASA is having some fun with the color spectrum ....
This practice also make our weather broadcasts pretty understandable and clear for many ....
Even forecasting tornado warnings have improved somewhat ....
Thanks for the article Alan ....
Neat, gotta watch the k-index and see if that changes radically, Some animals aggregate magnetite in their brain, perhaps as a bio compass, it has been suggested that some people may also have magnetite deposits...I wonder if some people can "feel" the CME, and if so what is it, does it seem like a swirling sensation or does it dis-orient ones sense of direction. For me, my natuaral sense of east to west flips when I go north over the saint lawrence...kinda strange sensation because I feel that north is one way, but all the visual clues contradict that feeling.like the sun moving in the sky..I have to not dwell on it, and also remember not to trust the intuition above certain latittudes.....perhaps those involved in orientation meets can add to this....
If there's no significant problem to earth, and most of us will not see the effects overall, why is this even a story. Put it in a science journal and let the eggheads mull over it.
Because aurora are very pretty, fairly rare in the latitudes where most people live, so folks may like a "heads-up" to look up this weekend?
Or, post it on the science news (where it is) and leave us adults alone to talk about it!
"And there Shall be Signs in the Sun and in the Moon, and in the Stars, and upon the Earth Shall be distress of Nations." Luke 11:25 We haven't Seen Anything yet.
There have always been "Signs in the Sun and in the Moon, and in the Stars", and the Earth has always been the "distress of Nations", as long as there has been an Earth and there have been nations. Kinda makes it look like all this s#!t is pre-programmed, huh?
Here, I'll add my own:
And man shall kill man, and women will moan. Hunger and drought will strike parts of the earth, while others will flourish.
There, add that to any point in history, and its as if I made a prediction!!
And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
This is quite evident by some of the comments on this web sight and on CNBC's.
And people shall constantly disagree on news forums, and relate every story to either politics or religion.
Thank goodness they aren't the "Big ones". Pretty scary
Very kewl! stunning! Imagery,..using colour to enhance opens doors for sure,, the music was kind kewl as well,, good choice!,..notice the anti-clockwise rotations?.. and a double ejection so close together?..and rotation in rotation??.. very interesting,,its like fluid dynamics on an huge scale, run amuck!!...I wish we knew what,exactly! the "ejecta" is made up of,..we know a little,, but not much methinks,,I have also wondered about these solar events and human brain activity,..its a known fact that the moon has influence,..[ask any doc about hospital admissions and the full moon]...I for one would not be at all surprised that there are some who are influenced in some way?[it could be tied to amount of ferrous metals in ones body in toto??]..maybe even myself,..how would you! know? eh??..questions?.. do we know how these events influence dark matter they come in contact with?.. is solar gravity affected in any way?..and that actual "energy"[whatever that! is??],, well,, there,s the question,, what is it??..weeeel,, anyways,,, kewl!! ,,, great pics etc,,, more please,..and yeah, I will be looking out for the aurora,s Saturday,.. if we get a clear sky,..may even get some pics,..
Now how do we know the one's that are coming in August. I am not trying to start anything. I just really want to know. I read National Geographic about the flares, electromagnetic storms hurtling toward earth and at some point we could have some strong enough to disrupt all electricity and anything GPS and electronic. But they said they could only warn a few days ahead because of the solar storm and how long it will take to reach earth. Are they expecting a lot of activity in August?
I don't know which would be worse no A/C or no Heat?? Dang! I did also read in that same article that communication would be out and we would be taken back to early 1800 type living for possibly up to ten years in some areas. Hard to imagine.
Isn't it nice to know that the one thing that allows life on earth and is a constant wonder, day in and day out until our last dying breaths, is the same thing that humans have managed to copy and plant in the earth only to wonder one day if it will grow.
- Mo Pho
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