Image: AccuWeather.com
A major solar flare that occurred Tuesday at 7:28 p.m. EST may yield a substantial aurora borealis (northern lights) over the next couple of nights. Scientists predict another solar flare early in the morning on March 8. It could be the strongest coronal mass ejection since December of 2006
Areal coverage of the display is almost impossible to gauge ahead of time. The northern lights could be visible as far south as the southern Great Lakes region.
Skies will be clear to partly cloudy along much of the East Coast, West Coast, Great Basin, the northern Rockies and portions of the interior South and the northern Plains. In southern Canada, portions of the Prairies and and British Columbia, clouds should be absent for a time.
There will be a full moon Wednesday night, which could detract from viewing the show somewhat.
Experts at Space Weather.com believe the flare will only graze the earth's magnetosphere, so significant disruptions to radio signals are not expected. Some commercial flights will reroute their trips from polar regions.
However, the solar plasma released from a large sun spot could yield an impressive light show on behalf of the aurora borealis.
From AccuWeather.com (find the original story here); reprinted with permission.
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19 Comments
Add CommentWith solar activity finally cranking up and La Nina going away for the first time in 5 years, it looks like all the climate deniers will have to eat their words when 2012 is the next "hottest year yet". Then, some combination of 2013, 2014, and/or 2015 will surpass even that. I don't know exactly because it's impossible to tell, but the general upward trend in global average temperature caused by our CO2 emissions will GUARANTEE that each decade at least will be hotter than the proceeding one until we come to our senses.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt is unrealistic to think that all the major polluters- China, India, US will ever change to the point of affecting global warming. And even if they did, by some remote miracle, the die is cast. Human civilization is on a downward spiral from now on out. Sorry world.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhat is this "picture tube" you speak of ?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisseems like I saw one in the smithsonian once.
This "person" is a hacker that's trying to make me look bad. Just report abuse on their comments and ignore. I must be doing something right to have a smear campaign directed at me like this!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt cannot be the big one....that would make me wrong . dec 21 . the "big one " will beat the crap out of human DNA.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHow much you wanna bet 21 Dec passes by without a major solar storm, earthquake or whatever these new-age hucksters are fooling you with? Too bad the Mayans didn't know about leap years, so we already went past the end of their calendar 7 months ago!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisthe forecasters and climate experts where predicting the "coldest winter in 50years" for the canadian praries, yet it was ABOVE zero celcius for days at a time with only a few cold snaps. oh, btw, it was cooler and dryer than normal last summer too...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisVery scientific! Quant suf! (With apologies to Alfred Bester)
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe last La Nina left a residual cold spot on the surface of the waters off the coast of California. This flattened out this winter's jet stream coming across the west coast of North America. The jet stream flowing straight across the prairies blocked the normal downward flow of Arctic.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNo such effect was present in Siberia and Eurasia which of course _did_ have the coldest winter in 50 years.
In my previous comment.. The jet stream flowing straight across the prairies blocked the normal downward flow of Arctic.... should read Arctic air.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHow I can proofread a short comment three times and miss something so obvious is beyond me.
Which comments are you referring to as being a hack. Usually your comments are interesting and it sucks if some one is doing that to you. You may want to change your password or go by a new name. I had to do that when I got PO'd at the guy that was continually advertising bathing suits. I guess I overstepped the punishment I was going to dish out (in jest). But don't stop posting.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisN.A.S.A. says this will be the quietest sun spot cycle for the last one hundred years.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov/predict.shtml
The last time we had such a low activity cycle for a protracted period was the little ice age. No guarantee that it will be that quiet this time or that the usual effect will follow through.
It may also interfere with electronics as you all know. Don't just think this is an invitation to a fun light show. Investigate. For those of you who specialize in this field if there is a warning that should be going out, I hope you will do just that. And inform those of us less specialized what exactly we can do and what we should do. Thank you
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBravo! Thank you for saying what needs to be said.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSome of us on this site are bright enough that we have known this was coming for some time. No amount of denial from our government and citizenry can change the consequences of their actions and their failure to make changes.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI would like to hear your research on 2012. Seriously. I have studied it since the 80s and would be interested in your take on this subject.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisInteresting comment. Where do you get your info? And how is it that the Mayan clock is more accurate than the Atomic clock? What research have you done and what have you learned. I would like to know.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisCan you expound on this topic. I am quite interested.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI'm just a new guy at all this global warming conviction and counting days, and leap year calculations.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHypothetically speaking of course, allow me to knock you out for a few days, take you to a remote location on the earth where the only clothing you'll need is a loin cloth. I would then awaken you and NOT tell you how many days you have been out. It could have been 1 day or 2 weeks.
Now absent of any modern method (wristwatch, clocks, cellphones, gps, written calendars, etc.) of indicating time or day of the week, or month I'd like you convince me that today is March 9th in the year 2012 AD.
Call this Mayan retribution if you'd like. Think you can do as well as my Mayan cousins in coming up with a fairly accurate calendar?
Can't wait for a response. Oh . . .and BTW, I'm not some right wing conservative who is just here to upset the Global Warming apple-cart. Seems to me the wheels are a little loose already without my help.