SpaceWeather.com — News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids
CME IMPACT: A widely-reported CME produced by an X5-flare from sunspot AR1429 hit our planet’s magnetic field on March 8th. The impact was weaker than expected, producing only a mild geomagnetic storm. Power grids and other sun-sensitive technologies were unaffected. Update: As March 9th unfolds, conditions in the wake of the CME are becoming favorable for stronger geomagnetic storming. These auroras appeared over Faskrudsfjordur, Iceland:
“No words can describe the experience of the Northern Lights show tonight,” says photographer Jónína Óskarsdóttir. “This is just a 1s exposure!”
High-latitude sky watchers should remain alert for auroras as Earth’s magnetic field continues to reverberate from the CME impact. Aurora alerts: text, phone.
more images: from Pavel Kantsurov of Norilsk, Russia; from Aleksander Chernucho of Kola peninsula, Russia, Mt. Khibiny; from Chad Blakley of Aurora Sky Station, Abisko National Park, Sweden; from Timo Newton-Syms of Ruka, Finland; from Timo Veijalainen of Sodankylä, Finland;