Everyone standby!
GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH—UPGRADED (per SpaceWeather.com ): This weekend’s geomagnetic storm watch has been upgraded from G2 (Moderate) to G3 (Strong). Why? Because giant sunspot AR3664 keeps hurling CMEs toward Earth. There are now at least 3 storm clouds heading our way.
What’s this mean? Auroras (i.e. northern lights) could be visible even into northern Iowa and Chicago come Friday night.
Tonight, the northern lights might be visible in northern Minnesota, potentially as far south as Duluth, but maybe not until almost dawn early Friday.
NOAA
If you’re like me and still have your eclipse glasses, take a look at the sun with them on (never look at the sun with the naked eye directly). The current sun spot, AR3664, is so big that it’s visible on the right side of the sun.
NOAA
A reminder that the sun is currently in its active phase. The sun goes through an approximately 12 year cycle. We were in a solar minimum the last several years but now we’re in a maximum phase.