by omg.. who needs to go to the north pole...
On August 1, 2010, scientists at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), using images taken from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, observed a series of four large CMEs emanating from the Earth-facing hemisphere. At an observed velocity varying between 670,560 m/s and 1,118,000 m/s (meters per second), they were expected to strike the Earth's geomagnetic field sometime between August 4 and early August 5. As of 05:00 UTC August 4, the estimated time of arrival of the series was as follows:
* Wednesday, August 4 – 07:00 UTC
* Wednesday, August 4 – 17:00 UTC
* Thursday, August 5 – 00:00 UTC
* Thursday, August 5 – 06:00 UTC[8]
All four were described as large and, according to scientists, possessed enough energy to cause aurorae to be observed by the naked eye in non-polar regions.[9] According to reports, aurorae would be visible at night toward the northern horizon in temperate latitudes between 45° to 50°, and near overhead in regions farther north.[10] The initial CME was generated by the eruption of August 1 named Sunspot 1092, which was big enough to be seen without the aid of a solar telescope.[11] Aside from the visual effects of the CME series, scientists also fear that electric impulses caused by disruptions in the magnetic field due to the ionized particles may damage infrastructure such as power grids and telephone lines not adequately protected against induced magnetic current. It has also been reported that several Earth-orbiting satellites may be in similar danger.[9] According to Leon Golub, an astronomer at CfA:
This eruption is directed right at us and is expected to get here early in the day on August 4. It's the first major Earth-directed eruption in quite some time. When such an expulsion reaches Earth, it interacts with the planet's magnetic field and can create a geomagnetic storm. Solar particles stream down the field lines toward Earth's poles. Those particles crash with atoms of nitrogen and oxygen in the atmosphere, which then glow like little neon signs. Sky watchers in the northern U.S. and other countries should look toward the north late Tuesday or early Wednesday for rippling "curtains" of green and red light.[12]
In the early morning hours of August 4, 2010 aurorae began to become visible at latitudes as far south as Oregon and Wisconsin in the United States (see right). The aurorae were reportedly green in color due to the interaction of the solar particles with oxygen atoms in the relatively denser atmosphere of southern latitudes[13]. The "spectacular" light show continued for several hours before fading into the light of early morning. This however, is but the first wave of plasma with the third and last expected to produce further auroral disturbances at similar latitudes during the evening of August 5.[14]
