This is a link about YET ANOTHER storm that took place 10/30/04.
Take a look at the following gif taken from "Today's Space Weather":
Does the flare on the left look a little . . . potent? :) As it turns out, it was the fourth most energetic flare of the instument age. For a list of the most energetic flares of all time, click here. Notice also the LARGISH flare to the right of the picture. -Once this storm got really got going, the Earth got socked with the effect(s) of the other gigantic flare. (!) Of note, these flares shortly preceeded the largest measured solar flare of ALL TIME (I saw a "movie" of the decay of the magnetic arcade---it was EXTRAORDINARY.)!! Actually, the Carrington Event was certainly QUITE a bit larger---but it occurred in 1859, and we didn't have very good instruments back then. :)
And take a look at the ACE (Advanced Composition Explorer) data:
It doesn't get much better than this. -You won't see data like this more than a handful of times [in] a century.
And take a look at the Satellite Environment Plot (also taken from "Today's Space Weather."
It doesn't get much better than this---a PCA (polar cap absorption) event off the scale, other data "all over the board"--and sustained Kp level to "beat the band." Also, if one takes a VERY careful look at this data, one can tell that there was a negative Bz (component of the magnetic field in the "downward" direction)---INSIDE OF THE MAGNETOSPHERE!! That is an . . . unusual (and extraordinary) event, to say the least. Awesome.
As you may or may not know, I run an ~worldwide "aurora alert list." -And, whenever I get one of these big ones, "spot on"--I like to post the alert I issued beforehand. This link is no exception. :) Click here to read the alert I issued. (Just use the "back button" to return. The "html" is (simply) "pure text.")
And here are reports of aurora sightings---for people on my list. (Again--just use the back button to return.) One of these I find very beautiful. :)
Here is a picture of what we saw in Alaska (which wasn't all that much---due to heavy clouds. :( ).
Photo credited to Chris LeDoux.
Picture taken from the Northstar Weekly.
As I mentioned above, I wasn't expecting to see much---as the cloud cover was QUITE heavy. However, as I was getting my water in Fox (One REALLY doesn't want to drink what comes out of the tap here in Fairbanks :P ), this is what I saw. Now, I have been watching the aurora for several years---and yet, I had never seen anything quite like this. The aurora was BLOOD-red---and didn't really seem to have any source. . . . It was . . . downright SPOOKY.
However, one can't help but notice that . . . this picture ain't all that hot. :) That is one of the things that held up the creation of this link---here I am--one of the greatest auroral storms of the last two ceturies--and I ain't got no good pics!! :) So, special thanks go out to Dr. Dirk Lummerzheim of the Geophysical Institute---for providing me with some links to some *GREAT* pics. :)
>John,
>here are a few links:
>Collection for all Germany:
>http://www.saevert.de/aurorapics.htm
. . .
>Photos from Cologne
>You could also look here for more inks to aurora photo web pages:
>http://odin.gi.alaska.edu/lumm/Pictures/links.html
>--Dirk
I left the above ones as links, but here is one that absolutely must be seen:
The above is a picture of the aurora seen . . . FROM THE CANARY ISLANDS!!!! This is clearly an aurora---and [it] is visible almost on the "magnetic equator!!" Extraordinary. -This may well be the most extraordinary aurora picture you will ever see. (Of (possible) note, this is the very first (and thus far, only) picture I have linked into my page from another [page]. -If anything goes wrong with this link, please let me know---and I will try to get a copy up.
A few final notes on this storm: The significance of this event cannot be easily overstated. This was one of the most powerful magnetic storms/auroral events of historical time(s). I saw a talk given by Dr. Dirk Lummerzheim, where he compared the Dst (storm index---a measure of the "storm-time ring current" about the Earth) for various significant storms of the last two and a half centuries. It was not all that near the top; however, this storm still did . . . respectfully well. (The Great Red Aurora of 1958 was the "hands-down winner"---the storm viewed by Dr. Charles Deehr--also of the Geophysical Institute--with his future wife, which sparked his lifelong interest in the aurora. I can't say enough good about Dr. Deehr. :) ) Although not a major contender in Dst--considered a very good measure of the severity of an auroral storm--the sourthernward extent of the display was . . . POSITIVELY EXTRAORDINARY---almost rivaling the above-mentioned Carrington Event. :O -Truly this was one of the most extraordinary auroral events of historical times.
