Some good views can be had from the Tavern, especially when so many friends are watching out. I have shown views before but not night-time ones. Tonight was rather special.
The sun put on a show, sending particle wossnames hurtling our way which lit up the skies over the Tavern.
My good friend Araya Sunun managed to gather some fine photos some time after getting back from the market.
OK, the sun had gone down and she had taken her sunglasses off, but only to get her better lenses in action and some snaps from her busy mates too.
The Aurora Australis is not uncommon down here. We often get glimpses, but this evening was a show-stopper - at least through sensitive lenses. My old eyes do not see the fainter colours.
Enjoy the view from the Patio.
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| And one from Steve
Leeper
Seven Mile beach just after
10:30, during a gap in the clouds. Chuffed to get a couple of in camera beams
after missing out on yesterdays show
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OK. I'll put my hand up. That last one was from New Zealand.
But heck. I am not jealous. Because THIS is what we get in Tas.
Thank you Araya. I shall add more as I get them.
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| Keep Looking Good. |
It is happening all over and the 'news' is catching up with some explanations.
And another...A severe geomagnetic – or "solar" – storm hit the Earth on Tuesday, producing gorgeous auroras and sparking concerns about power disruptions.The storm, which hit the Earth at around 10:00 a.m. ET, is a "G4" on the five-point scale, according to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center. Spaceweather.com reports that it's the strongest so far in this solar cycle, which occurs about every 11 years.These types of "storms" are part of what's known as space weather, when energy that blasts off from the sun interacts with the Earth's atmosphere and geomagnetic field.The electric power grid, and the power to homes and business, can be disrupted by solar storms like this, NOAA said, though there have been no reports yet today.
A severe solar storm smacked Earth with a surprisingly big geomagnetic jolt Tuesday, potentially affecting power grids and GPS tracking while pushing the colorful northern lights farther south, federal forecasters said.So far no damage has been reported. Two blasts of magnetic plasma left the sun on Sunday, combined and arrived on Earth about 15 hours earlier and much stronger than expected, said Thomas Berger, director of the Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado.This storm ranks a 4, called severe, on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's 1-to-5 scale for geomagnetic effects.
I still prefer the pictures from my friends.It is the strongest solar storm to blast Earth since the fall of 2013. It's been nearly a decade since a level 5 storm, termed extreme, has hit Earth.Forecasters figured it would come late Tuesday night into Wednesday morning; instead, it arrived just before 10 a.m. EDT. They had forecast it to be a level 1."It's significantly stronger than expected," Berger said. Forecasters had predicted a glancing blow instead of dead-on hit. Another theory is that the combination of the two storms made it worse, but it's too early to tell if that's so, he said.The storm seemed to be weakening slightly, but that may not continue, and it could last all day, officials said. It has the potential to disrupt power grids but only temporarily. It also could cause degradation of the global positioning system, so tracking maps and locators may not be as precise as normal.Often these types of storms come with bursts of radiation that can affect satellite operations, but this one has not, Berger said.But the most noticeable effect is usually considered a positive. The Aurora Borealis or northern lights that usually can be viewed only in the far north will dip south, so more people should be able to enjoy the colorful sky show. Forecasters were not sure just how far south it would be visible.Forecasters said early Tuesday, before sunrise, auroras were already seen in the northern tier of the U.S., such as Washington state, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin.Space Weather branch chief Brent Gordon said if the storm effects continued through Tuesday evening, there was a "very strong possibility" that the northern lights could be seen as far south as the middle United States, even Tennessee and Oklahoma. That also means much of Russia and northern Europe, as far south as central Germany and Poland, had the potential for the sky show.The sky has to be clear of clouds but the crescent moon will appear small enough it shouldn't interfere with viewing of the aurora is in the sky, Gordon said.
This one is from Raymond Hoffmann, of the 'Northern Lights' over Iceland. Pretty spectacular !
And this from Franklin in the Huon Valley
Keep them a'coming.
More Update.
Steve Ward .... below...taken at Huonville.
There are more views at a specific Facebook page.
And another from Andy Page, taken at Seven Mile Beach (near the airport) last night (19th)
Pax.
Stunning, thank you for sharing Araya's beautiful photographs :-) We don't get anything like that over here ;-)
ReplyDeleteWe are at 40 deg south, not near the Antarctic Circle. The UK is further north at 50 North and closer to the North Pole than we are south. I hear that the Aurora Borealis up there is visible in Scotland. Perhaps it is a place to put on your trip-list.
DeleteLovely! Lovely Araya and lovely Aurora :)
ReplyDelete