Any sky watchers in the audience tonight?

[tyler811]

In another thread I made mention of watching the Northen Lights here in MI when I was kid.

There is any good specific time to watch for them or do they just happen?

 

[Spacehead]

There needs to be a coronal mass ejection (CME) facing the Earth when it blows for there to be auroras. Unfortunately at the moment, we are in the Suns minimum activity cycle.
There are websites that you can subscribe to to get alerts for this. I happen to use Spaceweather. Or you can just monitor those sites yourself if you don't want the email alerts

A little more info about the solar cycles

 

[KLin]

I'll be watching the bullets go up in the air around midnight or so.

 

[tyler811]

Originally posted by: Spacehead
There needs to be a coronal mass ejection (CME) facing the Earth when it blows for there to be auroras. Unfortunately at the moment, we are in the Suns minimum activity cycle.
There are websites that you can subscribe to to get alerts for this. I happen to use Spaceweather. Or you can just monitor those sites yourself if you don't want the email alerts

A little more info about the solar cycles

Thank you sir

 

[buck]

When I lived out that way I saw them many times. There were alot of websites out there with help showing when they were showing and how bright. The best time of year is the fall/winter. I have seen them in Canada,MN,MI, and KY (yes in them mountains far from the cities).

 

[tyler811]

Originally posted by: KLin
I'll be watching the bullets go up in the air around midnight or so.

lol :laugh:

 

[Spacehead]

Just checked my email

SOLAR ACTIVITY: The New Year could begin with a bang--or rather a solar flare. A sunspot hidden just behind the sun's eastern limb has unleashed two X-ray flares and a bright CME (coronal mass ejection) in the past 24 hours. This activity could signal the return of large sunspot 978, which has spent the last two weeks transiting the far side of the sun. Today or tomorrow, the sun's rotation should carry the active region over the limb and into view from Earth; then we can evaluate its potential for more flares and CMEs. Visit http://spaceweather.com for images and updates.

HEAVENLY MEETING: Last night, emerald Comet 8P/Tuttle glided by spiral galaxy M33 producing a heavenly scene for astrophotographers around the world. Dozens of photos may be found in Spaceweather's Comet Tuttle gallery: http://spaceweather.com/comets/gallery_tuttle_page4.htm