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Geomagnetic storm coming our way | Earth | EarthSky June 22, 2015

Posted by aquillam in Astronomy, MichiganAstro.
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There’s a real chance of aurora in Michigan!

Geomagnetic storm coming our way | Earth | EarthSky.

Of course the solstice means the best places for aurora to happen are also the places most likely to be too bright to see the aurora. But don’t let that stop you from getting outside and looking up. You might also catch a noctilucent cloud, and of course Venus and Jupiter are worth watching.

Space Weather Enthusiasts Dashboard | NOAA / NWS Space Weather Prediction Center December 20, 2014

Posted by aquillam in Astronomy, MichiganAstro.
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Space Weather Enthusiasts Dashboard | NOAA / NWS Space Weather Prediction Center.

 

An email from Spaceweather.com let me know that an increase in solar activity has led to an increased chance of aurora later this weekend or early next week. This led me to a search for better data on aurora predictions. This NOAA dashboard might be overkill for some, but I’m geeked by finding it!

Ovation Aurora moved June 16, 2014

Posted by aquillam in Astronomy.
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A while ago, I blogged about the ovation aurora site for aurora predictions. At that time it was still in “beta” mode, being tested. The Space Weather Prediction Center has finished it’s testing and moved it to production.

You can now find the OVATION Aurora site at http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ovation/

For general reference, in Ann Arbor, a Kp index of 7 means we should be able to see aurora, as long as its dark enough.

3-day Estimated Planetary Kp-index Monitor February 19, 2014

Posted by aquillam in Astronomy, MichiganAstro.
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3-day Estimated Planetary Kp-index Monitor.

This is a handy graph for figuring out if the Kp index might be elevated enough to check for aurora.

Check http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/pmap/ to see if it’s actually worth going outside. This link goes to the general SWPC page. You may want to actually bookmark the northern or southern hemisphere map, or check out their pilot program, OVATION (which is prettier, but I don’t know much about its accuracy)