Aurora Borealis, Shining Down in Dallas....
...Can you picture that? ;)
D.W.Q.M.: "One day we'll know all the mysteries of the skies, and we'll stop our wanderings." -Susan Foreman
Ah, the Sun is at it again. Last week we witnessed a solar storm that many hoped would trigger the aurorae (northern and southern lights). Well, I don't know about you, but it was too cloudy here in Cleveland to see anything. Sounds like there wasn't much to see, anyway.
Never you fear, Aurorae lovers! We have another chance-and a much, much bigger one at that. First, a little astronomy lesson (I love this stuff!!!) Solar flares are classified as C (weak), M (moderate), and X(strong) with a corresponding number-the higher the number, the bigger the flare. Last week's solar flare was classifed between X1 and X5, according to SOHO (the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory. The one that was emitted yesterday was classified as X17!!! That's the third largest one ever recorded!!! Now, this doesn't necessarily mean that there will be aurorae, but if the earth's magnetic fields are oriented in the right position when the solar winds hit, it could lead to a pretty awesome display!
According to Sky and Telescope the sun is going to be pretty active over the next few days in terms of sunspots, solar flares, and possibly more aurora displays!! :) If you are a sun watcher, you must be in heaven right now. ;)
Unfortunately, solar storms such as these may cause a disruption in communications and the power grid. Guess we'll find out if all the new safeguards that have been developed actually work... ;)
I haven't seen the northern lights since I was a little girl. It is so amazing-like colorful clouds that glide silently across the night sky. Sort of eerie, and definitely breathtaking. If you've never seen them before, I sincerely hope that you will have the opportunity to this week!!! :) :)
Quick note: i'm not sure what is up with my comments-Persephone mentioned that she tried to post twice, but ended up with a 'page cannot be displayed' error message-when I went to leave a test post, I found that both of Persephone's attempts were there, even though it says I don't have any comments. Weird. I'm looking into either getting that fixed, or changing my host for the comments... Feel free to continue attempts for leaving comments though-I really appreciate them! :)
D.W.Q.M.: "One day we'll know all the mysteries of the skies, and we'll stop our wanderings." -Susan Foreman
Ah, the Sun is at it again. Last week we witnessed a solar storm that many hoped would trigger the aurorae (northern and southern lights). Well, I don't know about you, but it was too cloudy here in Cleveland to see anything. Sounds like there wasn't much to see, anyway.
Never you fear, Aurorae lovers! We have another chance-and a much, much bigger one at that. First, a little astronomy lesson (I love this stuff!!!) Solar flares are classified as C (weak), M (moderate), and X(strong) with a corresponding number-the higher the number, the bigger the flare. Last week's solar flare was classifed between X1 and X5, according to SOHO (the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory. The one that was emitted yesterday was classified as X17!!! That's the third largest one ever recorded!!! Now, this doesn't necessarily mean that there will be aurorae, but if the earth's magnetic fields are oriented in the right position when the solar winds hit, it could lead to a pretty awesome display!
According to Sky and Telescope the sun is going to be pretty active over the next few days in terms of sunspots, solar flares, and possibly more aurora displays!! :) If you are a sun watcher, you must be in heaven right now. ;)
Unfortunately, solar storms such as these may cause a disruption in communications and the power grid. Guess we'll find out if all the new safeguards that have been developed actually work... ;)
I haven't seen the northern lights since I was a little girl. It is so amazing-like colorful clouds that glide silently across the night sky. Sort of eerie, and definitely breathtaking. If you've never seen them before, I sincerely hope that you will have the opportunity to this week!!! :) :)
Quick note: i'm not sure what is up with my comments-Persephone mentioned that she tried to post twice, but ended up with a 'page cannot be displayed' error message-when I went to leave a test post, I found that both of Persephone's attempts were there, even though it says I don't have any comments. Weird. I'm looking into either getting that fixed, or changing my host for the comments... Feel free to continue attempts for leaving comments though-I really appreciate them! :)
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