Ah, well...

[alexpgp]

According to the grapevine, an Earth-bound coronal mass ejection occurred a few days ago, which was supposed to get to our planet sometime during our day today. CME's are known for, among other things, causing displays of the Northern Lights, also known as the aurora borealis.

I went out a few minutes ago to see if any aurora could be seen from our location, but saw nothing except for scattered high-altitude clouds.

Maybe next time...

Comments

[adoptedwriter.livejournal.com]

I think I live too far south to see that. AW

[alexpgp.livejournal.com]

I do too, when I'm in the U.S. So I was hoping...

[nibot.livejournal.com]

http://www.gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast/NorthPolar/2013/07/19

"Auroral activity will be active. Weather permitting, active auroral displays will be visible overhead as far south as Anchorage, Alaska, Trondheim, Norway and Igarka, Russia, and visible low on the horizon in Montreal, Stockholm, Helsinki and Yakutsk, Russia."

[alexpgp.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link.

Montreal, it turns out, is about a degree south of the latitude here in Baikonur, but the cloud cover down by the northern horizon was pretty solid last night.

Thanks for the link, BTW. :)

UPDATE: Apparently, I failed to consider the earth's tilt at this time of year. Yakutsk is 15 degrees or so north of us.

[nibot.livejournal.com]

I'd guess that the aurora is centered on the *magnetic* pole (located somewhere north of Canada), in which case latitude wouldn't be the most important number. I think this is why the Aurora forecast says it would be visible from Yakutsk in Russia (at 62 degrees latitude) but as far south as Montreal (45 degrees latitude!) in the other hemisphere.

[alexpgp.livejournal.com]

Absolutely correct! Thanks for pointing that out.