Big, Beautiful Auroras with More to Come

A very faint auroral glow appears within 5° of the northern horizon around 12:30 this morning from Duluth, Minn. Bob King

If you saw Friday night's aurora I think you'll agree it was worth the wait. Like you, I checked at 9, 10 and 11 o'clock and saw nothing. But shortly before midnight, the DSCOVR spacecraft, located about a million miles sunward of Earth, detected a sudden and significant change in the direction of the particle stream that blows from the sun called the solar wind. 

This is a screen grab of solar wind activity recorded by the DSCVR satellite. It receives early warning of potential storm events. The satellite recorded an abrupt change in the solar wind's magnetic direction around 11:45 CDT. An hour and a half later, the aurora appeared across the northern states with sightings at least as far south as southern Minnesota. NOAA with additions by the author

Normally, it takes about an hour and a half for that material to cross that million miles and arrive at Earth. So I got back in the car and drove to an open spot and waited. For the next hour, I saw only a very faint glow just above the northern horizon. The camera recorded a diffuse, pink and green band (above). 

Just after 1 a.m. CDT, March 20, a series of faint rays surged into view in the north. Bob King

But at 1:08 a.m., activity suddenly rose with multiple bright arcs unfolding into a myriad of rays and spikes that wouldn't quit. I mean, it just went on and on and on, lighting up half the northern sky with rays moving to and fro. I saw only green, but the camera also picked up the rays' red tops, caused by fluorescing oxygen atoms at a much higher altitude. 

The Suomi-NPP satellite took this photo of North America at 2:02 a.m. Central Time, March 20 when the aurora was thick over Canada and also visible across the northern U.S. NOAA

The lovely moon, sinking in the west, lit up the snow, adding an air of serenity to the scene. At 2 a.m. I drove home and roused my older daughter. Good soul that she is, she got dressed and stepped outside. By that time the aurora had exploded across the entire northern sky, so we could watch it right from home! I finally went to bed — reluctantly — just before 3 o'clock, jazzed with wonder but knowing the show was far from over. 

By 1:30 a.m. things were really cooking with beautiful and bright spikes parading across the northern sky. Details: 35mm lens, f/2.8, ISO 3200, 3.5-second exposure. Bob King

Space weather forecasters had predicted only "active conditions" for Friday night. But the disturbance blossomed into a full-blown, G2-class geomagnetic storm when a "crack" opened up in Earth's magnetic field that allowed the south-pointing solar wind to spark a much bigger show than expected. Tonight's (Sat. March 20) forecast predicts a G1-class minor storm before midnight Central Time with a repeat on Sunday night, March 21 during the same time slot. The moon is brightening but shouldn't be too much of a problem. 

At 2:30 this morning (March 20) rays were climbing to the zenith. Bob King

If you're patient and willing to lose a little sleep you might just see the aurora throughout the weekend. Good luck!


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