Trick or treat? Massive solar storm could light up American skies this Halloween

An aurora may light up the dark skies over the US Northeast, upper Midwest, and could even stretch as far as the state of Washington, potentially giving skywatchers a rare treat this Halloween weekend. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a strong warning of an incoming geomagnetic storm on Friday. “A …

[GBE]

Higher latitudes is better than higher altitudes.

The best chance of seeing the colorful glow is to observe the sky at high altitudes, away from light pollution.

You'd be far better off observing at high latitudes.

You'd have to attain altitudes well above LEO to observe aurora from low latitudes.

[KittenHuffer]

Re: Higher latitudes is better than higher altitudes.

Have just posted pretty much the same to corrections before I came here.

[Jan 0]

Only North America? What about Northern Asia and Europe?

[Richard Boyce]

High southern latitudes too.

[Jan 0]

I was thinking, not many of us in Antartica, but they'll get a good display too.

[b0llchit]

Only North America?

Surely you know that the earth's rotational center is North America.

[Tom 7]

Its going to be daytime when the shit hits!

https://aurorawatch.lancs.ac.uk/

[John Brown (no body)]

"probably won’t affect electronics too much"

Well, it's daytime now and I'm not seeing any...kzzrt!

[Tom 7]

Every time I remember the Carrington event I do wonder if I can cycle to the nearest real ale beer barrels with taps pub for the last pissup ever.

[Phil O'Sophical]

If you can remember the Carrington event, I'll have a pint of what you've been drinking!

[Tom 7]

100 years or so before I was born but someone wrote stuff down about it! And no you wont have a pint of what I've been drinking - - I dont know you well enough to pee in a glass for you!

[Anonymous Coward]

@Tom 7

Cycle? The last pissup ever and you settle for a pushbike? Fuck that, you need a scramjet thing at a a minimum.

Now I need a few beers to get over the shock I felt when reading your comment. Cycle indeed!

[Slx]

Far more likely in Europe !

Given European population centres are far further north than most of their counterparts in North America, and any of their counterparts in the USA other than Anchorage which is still significantly further Southern than Reykjavik, it’s far more likely it will be seen in Europe than anywhere else.

If you consider Montreal is *south* of Paris.

Most of Northern Europe’s cities : London, Dublin, Brussels, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Berlin, etc are all at Canadian latitudes.

Dublin for example being at same latitude as Edmonton, Alberta. London is very slightly north of Calgary.

We’ve very distorted mental view of maps.

[Anonymous Coward]

Because only in North America will people go batshit about it. They will probably think it's the end of the world or a "sign" confirming the evil that is a vaccine. Or something

[Chris G]

End of the world

Judging by the comments on some of the Youtube videos following some of the eruptions around the workd, there are a lot of god botherers who seem to think a CME will turn volcanoes into hell mouths and will herald the coming of the four horsemen.

It must be great to have such a vivid imagination.

[W.S.Gosset]

"observe the sky at high altitudes"

ALL the sky is high altitude, isn't it?

[Tom 7]

Re: "observe the sky at high altitudes"

So clouds are below the sky? Cos I can nearly touch them here just before they drop into fog.

[Conundrum1885]

Aurora

Back when we had the "magnetic crochet" event it knocked out our power.

I actually predicted the event and work were most shocked!

[Gene Cash]

Mars mission

So that's the current (if we had one) Mars mission dead? (according to my intarwebz "research")

Or what would actually happen?

[Conundrum1885]

Re: Mars mission

Should be fine, NASA are well aware of this and take precautions.

Also Mars is in near opposition at the moment so chances are it will miss.

[Version 1.0]

What's for breakfast?

Will they send William Shatner up again with some bread and marmalade to hold the bread to the windows and make some toast?

[AndrueC]

It's grim up north. But sometimes they get to see pretty lights :)