Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion For those interested in science...

Those interested in science, and those who love them, may want to know... the Aurora are broadly visible this weekend due to a strong magnetic storm, reportedly the strongest since October 2003 (20.5 years ago). I've seen it described as an electromagnetic storm, and most commonly as an geomagnetic storm. Aurora were visible overnight last night (Friday May 10, 2024 to Saturday May 11, 2024) and are anticipated to be visible where there is not cloud cover overnight tonight (Saturday May 11, 2024 to Sunday May 12, 2024) in areas indicated by these maps: Aurora Forecast - https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/aurora-viewline-tonight-and-tomorrow-night-experimental

National Weather Service (NWS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provide viewing information, including: "Often, people report that the aurora is pale white in color... a manifestation of human’s night vision where the eye first picks out brightness without distinguishing color. Only when the aurora is fairly bright, can the human eye distinguish the true green, red, and other colors... modern digital cameras are often more sensitive than the human eye and can detect aurora and the the colors of the aurora when it is too dim for humans to see it." (source: https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/content/aurora-tutorial)

Viewing may be best between 10pm-2am (source: https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/content/tips-viewing-aurora)

More info available at Space weather live - https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/en/news/view/536/20240511-extreme-g5-geomagnetic-storm.html

Related posts (a variety of viewable sky events... lunar, solar, astronomy):
- astronomy - Perseid meteor shower, annually in August - https://giftedissues.davidsongifted.org/bb/ubbthreads.php/topics/250396/1.html
- solar/lunar 2024 - https://giftedissues.davidsongifted...ed-in-astronomy-eclipses.html#Post250708

Aurora Australis was also impressive for residents in Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. Unfortunately, residents in NSW and Queensland missed out because rain clouds blanketed our skies.

Yes! So glad you posted, EagleMum. The second link (Aurora Tutorial) mentions Aurora Australis 3 times... on the third mention, they explain that Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis are mirror images of each other.

Unfortunately the "Experimental" maps do not show the whole globe. Here's a map for the Southern Hemisphere - https://www.sws.bom.gov.au/Aurora/3/1 The more geomagnetic activity there is, the farther it can be seen. Except, unfortunately, the activity occurring during daylight hours remains unseen.

Sorry to hear of your cloud cover last night. Locally, we had thick cloud cover followed by heavy rains. Fortunately, by about 3am the storm had passed, the sky was clear, the eerie lights were beaming and seemed directly overhead, reaching in every direction.

Comet TsuChinShan-Atlas is visible with the naked eye in the Northern Hemisphere this weekend! Just before dawn.