World told to brace for 'severe geomagnetic storm' today - the first in nearly 20 years

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-13402759/Severe-solar-storm-watch-alert-NOAA.html

A rare and powerful solar storm may occur in outer space today which could wreak havoc on earth, officials have warned – the first in nearly 20 years if it happens.

At least five streams of plasma, known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), are heading toward Earth, prompting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to issue a severe geomagnetic storm watch for Friday into the weekend.

This is the first such alert aired since 2005 when Earth was hit with the highest dose of radiation in a half-century.

This time around, the 'unusual event' could disrupt electronic devices like GPS and parts of power grids, NOAA said – while citing how it may also drape a huge portion of the country, as far south as Alabama, in colorful natural lights.

 

Seeing the aurora now in the Midlands, UK

https://postimg.cc/gallery/9jwDfxNB

10 hours ago, MrBitstFlyer said:

Seeing the aurora now in the Midlands, UK

https://postimg.cc/gallery/9jwDfxNB

 

I used to live in the Midlands. I'll ask my son if he witnessed it.

I'm way too far south now to see it.

I went outside around 23:30 last night and looked up. It just so happened there were 3-4 teenagers outside at the same time. One showed me a photo taken on his phone and it clearly looked like the aurora. But this was directly overhead, not to the north as I would expect.

Manchester is 10 miles to my north which probably explains why I’ve never seen the aurora in 49 years I’ve lived here. Until last night… perhaps.

What I’m unsure about is whether it genuinely was the aurora since there was no colour to it. It could have just been very high thin cirrus as there was some around. Twenty mins later it has disappeared making me think it more likely to be cloud than the aurora.

But one thing remains. Why did the photos on this lad’s phone look so convincing when to the naked eye there was no colour?

I missed it last night, but the lady who cuts my hair (I had an appointment this morning) showed me some amazing photos of purple and green curtains of light. She says that it was almost as colourful to the naked eye. I am not very optimistic that it will return tonight, but I will try not to fall asleep this time!!

Apparently there WAS a good display all the way down here in Guernsey.

I'll nip out tonight, apparently might still be visible. 

1 hour ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

I went outside around 23:30 last night and looked up. It just so happened there were 3-4 teenagers outside at the same time. One showed me a photo taken on his phone and it clearly looked like the aurora. But this was directly overhead, not to the north as I would expect.

Manchester is 10 miles to my north which probably explains why I’ve never seen the aurora in 49 years I’ve lived here. Until last night… perhaps.

What I’m unsure about is whether it genuinely was the aurora since there was no colour to it. It could have just been very high thin cirrus as there was some around. Twenty mins later it has disappeared making me think it more likely to be cloud than the aurora.

But one thing remains. Why did the photos on this lad’s phone look so convincing when to the naked eye there was no colour?

I am South of Leicester by 15 miles and the colours were clearly visible to the naked eye.  The photos I took used 'night mode' which is a three second exposure, so colours are enhanced.

The first colours I detected were to the west! Bright red streak from overhead.  Strangely I saw no colours towards the northern horizon. Brightest radiated from overhead from the west, through to the north east, where there were green and purplish colours 

The best displays only lasted about 20 minutes.I live on a narrow boat, so I have good dark skies.

From what I read, Ushuaia and NZ got a good Southern Lights show too.

The photos taken from the flight deck with a iPhone always look much better than what you see with the naked eye.

I think it was last autumn there was a good display as we climbed out over Wales heading west on an evening departure, very unusual to see it so far south.

4 hours ago, martin-w said:

Apparently there WAS a good display all the way down here in Guernsey.

I'll nip out tonight, apparently might still be visible. 

People in the southern US states saw the aurora last night. Looks like it they will be out again tonight.

https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/05/noaa-says-extreme-solar-storm-will-persist-through-the-weekend/

5 hours ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

I went outside around 23:30 last night and looked up. It just so happened there were 3-4 teenagers outside at the same time. One showed me a photo taken on his phone and it clearly looked like the aurora. But this was directly overhead, not to the north as I would expect.

Manchester is 10 miles to my north which probably explains why I’ve never seen the aurora in 49 years I’ve lived here. Until last night… perhaps.

What I’m unsure about is whether it genuinely was the aurora since there was no colour to it. It could have just been very high thin cirrus as there was some around. Twenty mins later it has disappeared making me think it more likely to be cloud than the aurora.

But one thing remains. Why did the photos on this lad’s phone look so convincing when to the naked eye there was no colour?

Phones have a nice way of adding vibrancy to these types of things. Been plenty of times where I could barely see them on the plane but through my phone, they look amazing. 

8 minutes ago, ahsmatt7 said:

Phones have a nice way of adding vibrancy to these types of things. Been plenty of times where I could barely see them on the plane but through my phone, they look amazing. 

You’re talking to a bloke who has been brought up with SLR cameras for 50 years. 1/4 sec at F2.8 is considered the limit for hand held shots. My experience with smartphones is limited. It was too late to get my Nikon DSLR and tripod out. 😉

3 hours ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

It was too late to get my Nikon DSLR and tripod out. 😉

Don’t be getting expensive gear out while there’s teenagers hanging around!

12 minutes ago, jon b said:

Don’t be getting expensive gear out while there’s teenagers hanging around!

They seemed a sensible bunch. 😉 I’m setup in my back garden tonight but easily moved to front if circumstances demand it.

19 hours ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

You’re talking to a bloke who has been brought up with SLR cameras for 50 years. 1/4 sec at F2.8 is considered the limit for hand held shots. My experience with smartphones is limited. It was too late to get my Nikon DSLR and tripod out. 😉

Taken by my wife on Friday evening from our back garden - looking eastwards too - on her iphone....something or other. 

While she merely waved her phone in the right direction and pressed the button, I was hunting around for my tripod and putting a charged battery in my Canon DSLR.  By the time I got it all together the light show was over.