Sunday, November 07, 2004

Auroras are Back!

After what seemed to be a year's lull for me, the first major solar wind/geomagnetic activity is currently buffeting the Earth as a Coronal Mass Ejection's event horizon has passed by us and has consequently turned the IMF southward.

To be accurate, there were probably other events in the past year, but here in NW Ohio, it seems that every geomagnetic storm powerful enough to produce the Northern Lights this far south usually occur during total cloudovers. But not so tonight!

Right now, solar wind speeds are in the high 600's, the IMF is pointing south at around -40, and the hourly KP is going to be nearing 7. All perfect conditions that indicate that I should be able to see something once it gets dark enough.

My sources of data for current conditions:

Solar Terrestrial Dispatch
Spaceweather.com
Space Weather Now

What's cool is that more CME's are coming our way, so if the clouds stay away, it could be an exciting week!