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Solar storm from 'cannibal' sun eruption may impact power grid and bring auroras as far south as Pennsylvania
Space.com ^ | 11/04/2021 | By Meghan Bartels

Posted on 11/04/2021 2:21:19 PM PDT by BenLurkin

This week's solar storm is bigger than the storm over Halloween.

The Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), an office within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has been monitoring a series of outbursts from our sun that began on Monday (Nov. 1). Since then, the sun has produced several coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which are bubbles of hot gas and magnetic field; while such activity can come from any part of the sun, the current examples have headed out into space toward Earth, making them of particular interest to humans. Some sun weather trackers dubbed one of those eruptions a "cannibal CME" after it overtook an earlier storm.

SWPC warned that as the current geomagnetic storm unfolds, the consequences may affect people's daily lives, including "voltage irregularities possible in the electric power grid, false alarms may be triggered on some protection devices" and "intermittent satellite navigation (GPS) problems," according to a NOAA statement.

In addition to potential consequences more noticeable to everyday life, NOAA noted that spacecraft may be affected by phenomena like surface charging and orientation problems, and the storm might interfere with high frequency radio signals at high latitudes, which could affect long-distance airplane flights.

It's not all bad news, of course. The NOAA statement also notes that the geomagnetic storm may bring on particularly stunning northern lights, noting that overnight from Wednesday into Thursday the displays may have been visible from "Pennsylvania to Iowa to Oregon and points north." (Auroras also occur during the day but are much more difficult to see against a sunlit sky.)

(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...


TOPICS: Astronomy
KEYWORDS: aurora; cannibalsun; solarstorm

1 posted on 11/04/2021 2:21:19 PM PDT by BenLurkin
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To: BenLurkin

Space Weather Now has a good forecast map of where auroral activity should be.

https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/communities/space-weather-enthusiasts

There was lots of red for a long time last night, but not very far south. I kept an eye out for it but all I saw was a glow near the northern horizon that I could not tell if it was actually part of the aurora, or just local town lights on some rogue clouds.


2 posted on 11/04/2021 2:27:47 PM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith)
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To: BenLurkin

Sounds fun. hope the grid is ready


3 posted on 11/04/2021 2:27:52 PM PDT by algore ( )
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To: BenLurkin

Thanks for posting. Space weather gets my ‘curious synapses’ firing.


4 posted on 11/04/2021 2:32:37 PM PDT by week 71
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To: metmom

Great link!


5 posted on 11/04/2021 2:34:41 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion, or satire. Or both.)
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To: BenLurkin

I wonder when the left is going to say solar flares are caused my man made climate change?


6 posted on 11/04/2021 2:38:10 PM PDT by Pollard (PureBlood -- youtube.com/watch?v=VXm0fkDituE)
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To: BenLurkin

I have seen only one terrific aurora in my life and that was 30 some years ago. There have been a few moderate ones.

The problem is, it’s usually cloudy when they happen. However, here in NH we do not have the pervasive overcast that Upstate NY does because of the lakes.

I’m hoping for better luck now.

It’s very dark where we are and the night sky and Milky Way are a sight to behold. Absolutely amazing.


7 posted on 11/04/2021 2:39:43 PM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith)
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To: BenLurkin

Update to the update to the expired update from last month.

Its the end of the world and R.E.M. song gets played once again.

Nice knowing ya.


8 posted on 11/04/2021 2:45:11 PM PDT by George from New England
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To: BenLurkin

“This week’s solar storm is bigger than the storm over Halloween.”

*****

Halloween storms was weak. I was Kp numbers all night. Never even potentially visible in the US.

Fake space news.


9 posted on 11/04/2021 2:46:14 PM PDT by BusterDog
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To: BusterDog

It’s a conspiracy.


10 posted on 11/04/2021 2:51:40 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion, or satire. Or both.)
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To: BenLurkin

I’m sure there’s a vaccine for that… Came out yesterday


11 posted on 11/04/2021 3:01:02 PM PDT by Maskot (Put every dem/lib in prison........like yesterday!!! )
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To: Pollard

They won’t because they know that these flares and eruptions are made by Trump!!!


12 posted on 11/04/2021 3:07:16 PM PDT by Seruzawa ("The Political left is the Garden of Eden of incompetence" - Marx the Smarter (Groucho))
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To: BenLurkin

Luckily I have a collection of tin foil hats that will help shield me.


13 posted on 11/04/2021 3:21:25 PM PDT by Roadrunner383
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To: BenLurkin

*Sweet Meteor of Death ping


14 posted on 11/04/2021 3:26:07 PM PDT by Salamander ("Salamander has barbaric tendencies" /Gundog)
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To: metmom

I won’t see anything in western MD.

:(


15 posted on 11/04/2021 3:27:49 PM PDT by Salamander ("Salamander has barbaric tendencies" /Gundog)
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To: BenLurkin

Should I bring my tomato plants in?


16 posted on 11/04/2021 3:29:50 PM PDT by Kartographer (“We Mutually Pledge To Each Other Our Lives, Our Fortunes And Our Sacred Honor”)
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To: Salamander

I’d actually pay someone to wake me up to watch an aurora if they saw one or knew of one I could see.

I’m sorry you can’t see them there. They are pretty special.


17 posted on 11/04/2021 4:06:44 PM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith)
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To: metmom

:-\


18 posted on 11/04/2021 9:45:42 PM PDT by Salamander ("Salamander has barbaric tendencies" /Gundog)
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To: Kartographer

If you have Man In The Moon marigolds, you might want to avoid gamma rays.

/OMG I’m old

;D


19 posted on 11/04/2021 9:46:38 PM PDT by Salamander ("Salamander has barbaric tendencies" /Gundog)
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