The Sun has undergone some dramatic changes in the past few days as sunspot AR1416 has recently quadrupled in size, going from a barely there speck on Thursday to a massive, black dot come Saturday. Now, as Sunday arrives, the sunspot shows no sign of slowing down and now harbors potential for solar flares, too.
So, what could this mean for us on Earth?
First thing: a chance tosee aurora, better known as the Northern Lights.
The aurora are caused when the energized particles from solar flares come into contact with Earth's upper atmosphere. When the charged energy hits Earth, the particles react and the atoms/molecules in Earth's upper atmosphere give off the photons we see as the Northern Lights. Why are the lights different colors? Each individual atom gives off a different glow when excited by the incoming solar wind. For us living in the Northern hemisphere, auroras are common in high latitudes such as Canada, the Scandinavian countries, and higher. For those at mid latitudes, such as Cleveland's 41degrees North, auroras don't find their way into our skies very often. However, with an M9 blast, there is an increased chance that we could see the Northern Lights.
Speaking of aurora, we do have reason to be hopeful. Just last October, the Sun produced a stunning, unexpected displayof aurora over Ohio that stretched, in some places, as far South as Texas. In May, 2005, I observed a stunning display of aurora over the Cleveland area, too.
So how about the coming days?
Unfortunately, predicting aurora, and more specifically, where exactly they will appear, is very much a guessing game, especially when the sunspot in question has yet to produce any flares at all. Should sunspot 1416 erupt soon, the good news is that the blast will be Earth-facing, which could mean Northern Lights. To help one's odds of seeing the Northern Lights, sign up for Spaceweather's phone alert system, which can be set to call you when aurora are predicted to be visible over your location, wherever that may be.
Beyond the Northern Lights, for anyone owning a pair of solar viewing glasses, it will be well worth grabbing them and going out to take a look. No solar glasses? If you have a #14 or darker welder's shield, you're in luck as this will block enough light in order to allow one to look at the Sun safely. Needlessly to say, a telescope equipped with a solar filter will really bring out all the fine details.
Lastly, the weather is something to be considered. Astronomy always a weather-allowing pursuit, be sure to keep an eye on the Cleveland weather forecastand, for hour-by-hour cloud predictions, the Cleveland Clear Sky Clock. The great news, at least in the Cleveland area, things are looking clear as a bell for the coming two nights, which also makes for a great time tocatch Comet Garradd,too. Live somewhere else? Find a clockand see if it will be clear near you.
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