luzbybernal.com: Geomagnetic Storms Possible on March 11-12

domingo, 11 de marzo de 2012

Geomagnetic Storms Possible on March 11-12

What's up in space

Sunday, Mar. 11, 2012

Don't just watch shooting stars. Wear them! Authentic meteorite jewelry
for Valentine's Day is now available in the SpaceWeather Store.

INCOMING CME: A CME launched from the sun on March 9th is
nearing Earth. According to analysts at the Goddard Space Weather
Lab, the cloud will arrive on March 11th at 0649
UT (+/- 7 hr).
This is not a particularly potent CME.
Nevertheless, high-latitude geomagnetic storms are possible when
it arrives. Aurora alerts: text, phone.

WEEKEND SOLAR FLARE: Sunspot AR1429 is still erupting
this weekend. On Saturday, March 10th, it produced a powerful
M8-class flare that almost crossed the threshold into X-territory.
During the flare, New Mexico amateur astronomer Thomas
Ashcraft recorded a series of radio bursts at 21 and 28 MHz:

Dynamic spectrum courtesy Wes Greenman, Alachua

County, Florida

The roaring sounds you just heard are
caused by shock waves plowing through
the sun's atmosphere in the aftermath
of the explosion. "There is incredible
complexity in the waveforms," notes Ashcraft. "This is a recording
of one of the most turbulent events in all of Nature!"

In addition, the explosion propelled yet another CME toward Earth.
According to a forecast track prepared by analysts at the Goddard
Space Weather Lab, the cloud will hit our planet's magnetosphere
on March 12th at 1803 UT (+/- 7 hr), possibly sparking a new round
of geomagnetic storms.

After passing Earth, the CME will also hit the Mars Science Lab
(MSL) spacecraft on March 13th followed by Mars itself on March
14th. Mars rover Curiosity onboard MSL might get some
interesting readings as the cloud passes by.

CONVERGING PLANETS: Venus and Jupiter are converging
for a remarkably close encounter. On March 12th and 13th
the two bright planets will lie scarcely 3^o apart in the western
sky at sunset. Marek Nikodem photographed the approach
on March 9th:

"Venus and Jupiter glitter
so clearly,they are like
beautiful diamonds in the
sky," says Nikodem.
"It is an amazing
and unique view."

As the distance between
them shrinks,
Venus and Jupiter can
become physiologically
mesmerizing,according to
NASA. Look for
them before the sky fades
completely black The two
planets surrounded by
twilight blue is a beautiful
sight indeed.
[Sky maps: March 12, 13]

more images: from Gary A. Becker
of Coopersburg, PA; from Chris Cook
at Mt. Wilson Observatory, California;
from Stefano De Rosa of Turin (Italy);
from Kat of Northeast Philadelphia,
PA; from Joel Linao of Mirdiff, Dubai,
United Arab Emirates; from Stefano De Rosa of Turin (Italy);

CALM BEFORE THE STORM: Earth's magnetic field is
growing quiet
again after two days of geomagnetic storming prompted by
CME impacts.
At the peak of the disturbance on March 9th, Northern Lights
were spotted
in the United States as far south as the Dakotas, Minnesota,
Wisconsin,
Oregon, Wyoming, Illinois, Montana, and even Kansas.
The finest displays,
as usual, were reserved for Alaska:

"Almost immediately
after sunset,
the sky began to fill
with ribbons
of auroras above
Chena Hot
Springs (just outside
Fairbanks)
in Alaska," reports
photographer
Christopher Freemantle.
"The intensity grew
until very
bright, multicoloured
and fast
moving auroras were visible."

Although the magnetosphere is
calm now, more storms arre in
tthe offing.

A CME hurled

toward our planet by the

M6-class solar flare of March

9th is expected to reach Earth during the early hours of
March 11th.

High-latitude sky watchers should
be alert for auroras.
Aurora alerts: text, phone.