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Solar storm in progress: Northern lights tonight?

Posted at 4:28 PM on August 3, 2010 by Paul Huttner (2 Comments)
Filed under: Space weather

The sun is springing to life the last few days in what astronomers are calling a "complex solar eruption."

Sunspot 1098 marks an uptick in activity with solar cycle 24. The sun is expected to become much more active as it heads toward a solar peak in the next 2 years.

The first burst of solar energy has hit the earth today. Check out this from spaceweather.com today.

CME IMPACT! The first of possibly two incoming CMEs hit Earth's magnetic field today at approximately 1730 UT (1:30 pm EDT). As a result of the impact, a polar geomagnetic storm is brewing. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras after nightfall.

Here's a video of the eruption from August 1st.