NOAA forecasters estimate a 90% chance of geomagnetic storms on November 2-3 when a fast-moving stream of solar wind is expected to hit Earth’s magnetic field
MONSTER SUNSPOT: So you thought Halloween was over? Think again. There is a monster spot on the sun. AR2443 has more than quadrupled in size since it first appeared on Oct. 29th, and it now stretches more than 175,000 km from end to end. Philippe Tosi took this picture of the active region on Nov. 1st from his backyard observatory in Nîmes, France:
48 Hour Storm Watch.
First 24 hours, 7Kp possible.
Final 24 hours, 6Kp possible.
When does the Aurora storm watch begin?
The 48 hour magnetic storm watch began 15 hours and 49 minutes ago.
Details and Northern Lights Viewing Tips
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center has issued a 48 hour magnetic storm watch indicating a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) or a high speed solar wind stream emanating from the Sun may be heading towards Earth. These fast moving charged particles can cause a Northern Lights display.
The watch begins at the time indicated above. It should be noted that the beginning of the storm watch does not necessarily predict the arrival time of the aurora-causing particles, rather it indicates that, within that 48 hour period, increased activity is expected. Real-time Aurora Borealis forecasts can be obtained at the Aurora Borealis Forecast page at Soft Serve News.
Why miss your Aurora?
Get Aurora Alerts customized for your location.
It is somewhat rare that NOAA issues a storm watch of this magnitude. NOAA estimates the CME or a high speed solar wind stream currently headed towards Earth might produce a Kp number of 7 (Strong) during the first 24 hours and a Kp number of 6 (Moderate) during the second 24 hours, but that’s never fully known until it hits Earth.
It should be noted that storm watches sometimes turn out not to be as strong as advertised. Aurora watchers will have to wait and see.
Stronger CMEs can sometimes cause trouble for satellites and create problems with electrical grids by inducing currents as the CME cloud interacts with the magnetic field that surrounds the earth. It is this disturbance of the Earth’s magnetic field that causes the Northern Lights. NOAA indicates that power system voltage irregularities may occur. In addition increased drag on low Earth-orbit satellites and orientation problems may occur. Also, intermittent satellite navigation (GPS) problems, including loss-of-lock and increased range errors, may occur.
The Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, can range from a faint green glow on the northern horizon to a multicolored, full-sky display which can be one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring scenes in nature.
http://www.softservenews.com/en/aurora-borealis-breaking-news/aurora-storm-watch-300088.htmlListen for Auroral Propagation in the Amateur Radio 50, 70 and 144 MHz bands
http://rsgb.org/main/technical/propagation/auroal-propagation/
Aurora Watch
http://aurorawatch.lancs.ac.uk/alerts
http://www.twitter.com/aurorawatchuk
Space Weather
http://spaceweather.com/
Recent Posts
GEK SSB HF Transceiver
Project by N.Ganesan & I.Arun Silver series (Low range) for Beginners Gold series (Mid range) for Amateurs Diamond series (High range) for Profess... Read more
Kenwood, donated the wireless communication unit to the Nepal Army
JVC Kenwood is May 1, Nepal the victim of the big earthquake relief, for the purpose of disaster area reconstruction assistance, has announced... Read more
Overview of 50 MHz status in ITU Region 1 (2016)
IARU Region 1 has issued a new version of their Overview of 50 MHz Status document dated Feb 13, 2016 It shows which Region 1 countries currently have... Read more
Reference Station Power Distribution West Mountain Radio 4006U
The RIGrunner 4006U can deliver up to 40 amps total through 6 outlets and includes a dual USB socket for charging all your portable devices that need... Read more
New! Yaesu FTM-3200DR – 2M 65W FM/C4FM Mobile
Yaesu FTM-3200DR FTM-3200DR 144MHz 65W C4FM/FM Single Band Digital Mobile Transceiver Rugged & Compact 2m Digital Mobile with Front Speaker Radio... Read more
A New Cycle Begins: Solar Storm Forecast 08-30-2018 – Aftermath of Hurricane Lane
“This week was an unbelievable week for space weather. A G3-level solar event conspired with Hurricane Lane and set the stage for what became a... Read more
The K7RA Solar Update
After nine days with no sunspots, sunspot group 2729 emerged on December 5. The sunspot number on that date was 16. Average daily solar flux for the w... Read more
Understanding TV and Radio Interference
Download Full Article: Read more
Alinco DJ-X81 0.1~1300MHz Seg TV voice · EWS receive corresponding receive
Base price (excluding tax): 36,800 yen ● reception frequency range: 0.100 ~ 252.895MHz / 255.100 ~ 261.895MHz 266.100 ~ 270.895MHz / 275.100 ~ 379.895... Read more
Arduino Antenna Rotator – DIY
“After 5 years of operation of the antenna HexBeam I decided to remove the antenna from the chimney and put on a 10m mast in the garden. In the... Read more
ZX5B Batuta Island SA-088
ZX5B Batuta Island SA-088 PP5BZ, PP5BK, PU5ATX, PY3OZ, PY5ZB, PY5ZW will be active from Batuta Island (IOTA SA-088) 21 – 24 April 2016 as ZX5B.... Read more
CITEL Addresses Telecommunications Initiatives Prior to ITU Plenipotentiary Conference
The Inter-American Telecommunications Commission (CITEL), through its Permanent Consultative Committee 1 (PCC.1), met last week (August 20 – 24) at Or... Read more
Eye on Education: Ham Radio Club
Bishop Ryan’s amateur radio class has entered a week-long, worldwide competition for the first time this year. John Doran stopped by to see how... Read more
NO FIREWORKS ON THE 4TH OF JULY
The sun is blank–no sunspots. This means solar activity is very low. Credit: SDO/HMI NO FIREWORKS ON THE 4TH OF JULY: Sunspots vanished almost t... Read more
ARRL Members to Lead New 30-Minute Amateur Radio Webinar Series
ARRL is launching a new webinar series to help introduce more members to the variety of activities and opportunities that radio amateurs enjoy. The AR... Read more
There are no ads, please add some