Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Aurora Happening NOW (9:14 pm 18 March)
Last night was the most spectacular auroral display we have seen for probably 10
years, despite most of Southern Australia being clouded out, aurora were seen in
Vic, SA, WA, NSW and even (faintly) Southern QLD.
Tonight is unlikely to repeat this experience, but there is an aurora watch from the IPS and reports of aurora are trickling in.
Aurora have been reported in Invercargil NZ, Tasmania (Howden, Mobray, visible to the unaided eye), Victor Harbour (SA, ?camera only) and possibly Swan Hill (Vic). The Kp index is currently 3 Australia wide and 4 in Tasmania, so aurora may be decent tonight but unlikely to repeat last nights spectacle (Bz isn't negative at the moment, so unlikely to reach QLD this time or NSW).
Dark sky sites have the best chance of seeing aurora, and always allow around 5 minutes for your eyes to become dark adapted. As always look to the south for shifting red/green glows. The aurora may come and go as the night goes on, so keep looking.
The all sky aurora camera in Southern Tasmania at Cressy is still playing up http://www.ips.gov.au/Geophysical/4/2SUBJ: IPS AURORA WATCH
ISSUED AT 0100 UT ON 18 Mar 2015 BY IPS RADIO AND SPACE SERVICES
FROM THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORECAST CENTRE
A recent Coronal Mass Ejection impact resulted in significant space
weather activity and visible auroras during local nighttime hours on
17-Mar. Further aurora sightings during local nighttime hours on
18-Mar are possible.
Further monitoring at
http://www.ips.gov.au
Tonight is unlikely to repeat this experience, but there is an aurora watch from the IPS and reports of aurora are trickling in.
Aurora have been reported in Invercargil NZ, Tasmania (Howden, Mobray, visible to the unaided eye), Victor Harbour (SA, ?camera only) and possibly Swan Hill (Vic). The Kp index is currently 3 Australia wide and 4 in Tasmania, so aurora may be decent tonight but unlikely to repeat last nights spectacle (Bz isn't negative at the moment, so unlikely to reach QLD this time or NSW).
Dark sky sites have the best chance of seeing aurora, and always allow around 5 minutes for your eyes to become dark adapted. As always look to the south for shifting red/green glows. The aurora may come and go as the night goes on, so keep looking.
The all sky aurora camera in Southern Tasmania at Cressy is still playing up http://www.ips.gov.au/Geophysical/4/2SUBJ: IPS AURORA WATCH
ISSUED AT 0100 UT ON 18 Mar 2015 BY IPS RADIO AND SPACE SERVICES
FROM THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORECAST CENTRE
A recent Coronal Mass Ejection impact resulted in significant space
weather activity and visible auroras during local nighttime hours on
17-Mar. Further aurora sightings during local nighttime hours on
18-Mar are possible.
Further monitoring at
http://www.ips.gov.au
Labels: aurora, unaided eye
# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 9:36 pm 
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