RED AURORAS

[Maria]

Here are beautiful pictures of auroras sparked by coronal holes in the sun.

SOLAR WIND SPARKS GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY: Earth is entering a stream of high-speed solar wind on April 20th, and this is causing G1 to G2-class geomagnetic storms around the poles. NOAA forecasters say there is a 50% chance that these disturbances will continue until April 21st as our planet moves deeper into the stream.

"Last night, northern lights danced across the sky over northern Wyoming," reports Kevin Palmer, who sends this picture from the Bighorn Mountains:

http://www.spaceweather.com/archive.php ... &year=2017

AURORA SURPRISE: In a development forecasters did not expect, the speed of the solar wind around Earth sharply increased on April 21st. Earth responded with a bright display of Arctic lights. "I didn't think I would see the aurora any more this season," reports P-M Hedén of Vallentuna, "but I met her once more tonight."

http://www.spaceweather.com/archive.php ... &year=2017

Again, I remind you that pink and purple auroras are considered to be in the red spectrum.

[Maria]

Another beauty from http://www.spaceweather.com/archive.php ... &year=2017

This is is one of the precious auroras that is referred to as Hem of His Garment. This aurora not only has a beautiful royal blue, but also the pinkish-red spectrum.

RARE BLUE AURORAS: Northern Lights are usually green, and sometimes red. Those are the colors produced by oxygen when it is excited by electrons raining down from space. On April 22nd, Didier Lindsey of Fox, Alaska, witnessed an apparition of aurora-blue:

Hours before he took the picture, a CME struck Earth's magnetic field, igniting a G2-class geomagnetic storm. "The sky filled with very active auroras," Lindsey says,"including these rare blues."

In auroras, blue is a sign of nitrogen. Energetic particles striking ionized molecular nitrogen (N2+) at very high altitudes produces a cold azure glow of the type captured in Lindsey's photo. Why it rivaled the usual hues of oxygen on April 22nd is unknown. Auroras still have the capacity to surprise.

[Maria]

Here is a new phenomenon called a "Steve"

This is a great name as St. Stephen, the protodeacon and first martyr, went straight to Heaven as the Heavens opened up to receive his precious soul.

Normally, Steve is not in motion, but this spectacular array is almost like a space tornado.

Here is what the photographer stated at http://www.spaceweather.com/archive.php ... &year=2017

STEVE, IN MOTION: On May 19th and 20th, a solar wind stream hit Earth's magnetic field. The impact summoned "Steve"--a mysterious form of filamentary aurora that researchers do not fully understand. "I saw 'Steve' through the window even though the lights were still on in the house, so it must have been quite bright," reports Matthew Wheeler of Robson Valley, BC, Canada. Grabbing his camera, he rushed outside for a better view, and captured a rare movie of Steve in motion:

"I have seen Steve here a few times in the past decades," says Wheeler. "This was a dramatic apparition, especially overhead where fine fingers of color moved very fast almost at right angles to Steve, quite finely detailed at times. The 10 second exposures I stitched together to make the animation don't do it justice."

[Maria]

There is a saying that when one can see auroras world wide, then a world war will begin.

Lord have mercy on us and save us.

05-28-2017 california_red_aurora.jpg (42.74 KiB) Viewed 6298 times

CALIFORNIA AURORAS: Compared to many other photos of the May 28th geomagnetic storm, which were visually spectacular, this one might not seem noteworthy. Except for one thing: It was taken in California.

"I saw the magnetic storm alert at 11:00pm," says photographer Dan McBride. "When the K-index hit 7, I left my house and drove for 1 1/2 hours to the helipad at Big Hill Lookout, west of Lake Tahoe. I could barely see it, but after my first test shot I knew I had just caught purple pillars from California at latitude 38.8 degrees N."

Auroras in California are rare and remarkable. They are visible to the naked eye typically no more than a few times a decade. The May 28th display was even more remarkable considering the phase of the sunspot cycle: The sun is rapidly plunging toward Solar Minimum. Sunspots are scarce and solar flares are weak at best. Nevertheless, we just experienced a strong geomagnetic storm. The CME that sparked auroras over California this weekend was hurled toward Earth by a seemingly minor magnetic reorganization in the sun's atmosphere.

http://www.spaceweather.com

[Maria]

Taken by Scott Kindt on May 27, 2017 @ Northern Colorado

http://spaceweathergallery.com/indiv_up ... 78msslaas1

[Maria]

Taken by Nick Stasilli on May 27, 2017 @ Cold Brook, NY

http://spaceweathergallery.com/indiv_up ... 78msslaas1

[Maria]

Southern Auroras from New Zealand, taken by Minoru Yoneto on May 28, 2017 @ Queenstown,

http://spaceweathergallery.com/indiv_up ... 78msslaas1