The earth has been hit with a couple of large coronal mass ejections (i.e. solar flares) from the sun in the past couple of days and this is creating some spectacular auroral displays.
- Spaceweather.com Realtime Image Gallery – lots of beautiful images
- Spaceweather.com – Sept.14.14
- AuroraMAX – The Northern Lights Live – High Definition – Canadian Space Agency
- Aurora Forecast – Astronomy North
- Solar storm’s impacts to spacecraft should be limited – Spaceflight Now
From Spaceweather.com:
As predicted, a pair of CMEs hit Earth’s magnetic field in quick succession on Sept. 11th and 12th. The result was a G3-class geomagnetic storm, the most intense of the year so far. At the peak of the storm on Sept 12-13, bright auroras ringed the Arctic Circle and spilled down over several northern-tier US states.
Here’s a great shot by Harald Albrigtsen:
And here is a photo from ” John Stetson [taken] on September 12, 2014 @ Quaker Ridge, Casco, Maine facing north towards the Presidential Range in [New Hampshire]”: