A geomagnetic storm is within the house forecast, and WTOP’s Greg Redfern says that might imply the Northern Lights are seen within the D.C. area.
The solar, which was my “Top Space Story for 2024,” is including to its 2024 legacy, and simply earlier than the brand new yr.
It’s a phenomenal, sunny and windy Monday within the D.C. area. Space climate, like terrestrial climate, is attributable to Earth’s interplay with the solar, its star. And the house forecast is about to get somewhat bumpy.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center simply introduced a G3 (Strong) geomagnetic storm is anticipated:
The following announcement was made by the Space Weather Prediction Center on Monday at about 12:30 p.m.:
“A G3 (Strong) geomagnetic storm watch is in impact for 31 Dec, with a G1 (Minor) look ahead to 1 Jan. These are in anticipation of a pair of Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CME). The G1 Watch for 1 Jan is being thought of for improve to a G2 Watch. SWPC forecasters have a good degree of confidence in some measure of Earth effectual parts and common timing home windows of those two specific CMEs, nonetheless, as is common with these occasions, depth is much less sure. We won’t know the true potential of geomagnetic disturbance ranges of response till the CME(s) arrive 1 million miles from Earth (when they are going to be about 30-60 minutes from reaching our planet) and their construction and depth may be measured by our photo voltaic wind observatories – NOAA DSCOVR and NASA ACE spacecraft. Also, neither CME is predicted to be a direct hit, which additionally makes forecast of depth harder. Continue to comply with our webpage for the most recent forecasts and data.”
The following impacts are anticipated from a G3 storm, per the Space Weather Prediction Center:
Potential Impacts: Area of affect primarily poleward of fifty levels geomagnetic latitude.
Power techniques: Voltage corrections could also be required, false alarms triggered on some safety gadgets.
Spacecraft operations: Surface charging might happen on satellite tv for pc parts, drag might improve on low-Earth-orbit satellites, and corrections could also be wanted for orientation issues.
Other techniques: Intermittent satellite tv for pc navigation and low-frequency radio navigation issues might happen, HF radio could also be intermittent, and aurora has been seen as little as Illinois and Oregon (sometimes 50° geomagnetic lat.).
The solar is at the moment in Solar Cycle 25 and photo voltaic most, which produces extra sunspots and photo voltaic occasions, which produce house climate occasions, similar to Monday’s predicted degree G3 geomagnetic storm.
The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center aurora dashboard gives a two-day prediction of aurora. Midlatitude U.S. states and Europe have an opportunity of seeing aurora Monday night time and earlier than daybreak Tuesday. The present predicted peak is Tuesday, 1 a.m. to 7 a.m., however the D.C. area’s extra southerly location makes it extra “iffy.”
However, it’s nonetheless value looking to the north from a darkish sky location with a transparent northern horizon to see wheher any aurora are seen.
Use a digital camera or smartphone that may take exposures of a number of seconds — together with utilizing “Night Sky” or “Low Light” settings in case your digital camera has them — of the northern horizon. Steady the digital camera or use a tripod for greatest picture outcomes. The digital camera might seize aurora that your eyes didn’t.
The moon won’t be an element as it’s a “Dark Moon” Monday — the second new moon in December.
Spaceweather.com has a every day snapshot of what the house climate within the photo voltaic system goes to be like and a present picture of the solar. Monday’s posting explains what occurred on the solar the previous few days to trigger our present house climate.
My pictures of Monday’s solar present solar spots AR3936 and AR3932.
Our greatest wager is to watch the NOAA and house associated social media websites for updates. With our terrestrial climate being such a think about our every day lives right here within the D.C. space, and albeit, the remainder of the world, we’re additionally immediately affected by house climate, which might produce quite a lot of occasions, together with geomagnetic storms and aurora.
You hearken to WTOP for “site visitors and climate collectively on the 8s.” Maybe now it would be best to embody a verify of house climate, too, as a part of your every day climate routine.
Follow Greg Redfern on Facebook, Bluesky and his every day weblog to maintain up with the most recent information in astronomy and house exploration.
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