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Skywatchers Catch Amazing Aurora Views After Solar Storm

By Clara Moskowitz, SPACE.com Assistant Managing Editor
Space.com | SPACE.com – Fri, Mar 9, 2012

Outbursts from the sun over the past week are now paying dividends to skywatchers, who have been treated to amazing views of auroras recently.

The glowing auroras, also called the northern and southern lights, are caused when charged particles from the sun collide with Earth's magnetic field. These charged particles are in abundance lately in the wake of a series of super-charged solar eruptions that began on Tuesday (March 6).

The sun released two huge X-class solar flares on Tuesday, followed by strong eruptions on Wednesday and Thursday.

These tempests have fired off waves of plasma and particles called coronal mass ejections that travel through space, sometimes hitting Earth and giving skywatchers a treat.

Astrophotographers Imelda Joson and Edwin Aguirre were flying from from Boston to Los Angeles Thursday night (March 8), and knew the chances of seeing auroras were high.

"At the gate we asked the airline agent to switch our seats to the right side of the plane so our cabin window would be facing north," Joson wrote in an email. "We first noticed the aurora's greenish glow along the horizon as the plane was approaching Wisconsin. The glow grew stronger and stronger, and by the time we were flying over Minnesota, the display reached its peak, exhibiting distinct structures such as bright rays, curtains and bands."

The two photographers managed to snap a number of great aurora shots, and even spread their enthusiasm to other passengers.

"We told a number of passengers as well as flight attendants about the aurora and they soon joined us in taking turns peering through the plane's small windows," Joson wrote. "Around this time, the captain also noticed the show outside and made an announcement over the P.A. system to alert the rest of the passengers and crew."

Observer Shawn Malone caught a view of the northern lights over Lake Superior from Marquette, Mich., early Wednesday (March 7).

"There will probably be some major activity in coming days — I'm definitely not used to the frequency of this activity!" Malone wrote in an email to SPACE.com. "Before 2010, I went 3+ years of not seeing the lights. This pick-up in activity is welcome indeed."

If you catch views of the auroras that you'd like to share with SPACE.com for a possible story or image gallery, please contact assistant managing editor Clara Moskowitz at cmoskowitz-at-space-dot-com.

You can follow SPACE.com assistant managing editor Clara Moskowitz on Twitter@ClaraMoskowitz. Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcomand on Facebook.

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Solar and lunar Eclipse Dates for 2012

May 20, 2012: Annular eclipse of the Sun This rare eclipse will be partially visible from all but eastern North America. For most western locations, the eclipse will begin between 5:00 P.M. and 6:00 P.M. PDT. In Alaska and parts of northern Canada, the eclipse will start an hour earlier and end 2 to 3 hours later (or will be interrupted by sunset). In San Francisco, for example, the eclipse will begin at 5:16 P.M. PDT, reach its maximum at 6:33 P.M., and end at 7:30 P.M., with the Sun very low on the horizon.

June 3-4, 2012: Partial eclipse of the Moon In North America, this will be fully visible only from western Alaska; Hawaiians will also have a view. The Moon will enter the penumbra at 10:47 P.M. HAST on June 3, reach a maximum at 1:03 A.M. on June 4, and then leave the penumbra at 3:20 A.M. The eclipse will be partially visible from most of central and western parts of North America; observers will be able to see both a penumbral and umbral eclipse. The Moon will enter the penumbra at 1:47 A.M. PDT on June 4 and then enter the umbra at 2:59 A.M. PDT. However, the Moon will set before completion of the eclipse. Only a penumbral eclipse will be visible from the Northeast, starting at 4:47 A.M. EDT on June 4, before the Moon sets.

November 13-14, 2012: Total eclipse of the Sun This eclipse will not be visible from North America. It will be visible only from Australia, Polynesia, the South Pacific Ocean, southern South America, and Antarctica.

November 28, 2012: Penumbral eclipse of the Moon This eclipse will be fully visible only from Alaska and western parts of Hawaii. The Moon will enter the penumbra at 3:13 A.M. AKST, reach a maximum at 5:33 A.M., and exit the penumbra at 7:53 A.M. In central and western North America, the eclipse will begin at 4:13 A.M. PST, but the Moon will set before the eclipse concludes. No eclipse will be visible from eastern North America.

NASA Interactive Night Sky Map