Seen just a bit ago, outside Champaign, IL:
(Not my picture; just encountered it on Reddit. Too much light pollution at my place to see anything.)
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Iām annoyed that I was out of town when this happened. Apparently really good lights in Newfoundland this week.
Can see a faint tint of pink in the sky with the naked eye, exaggerated by the phone, but its there.
Faded out and came back a bit stronger 30 minutes later. Could definitely see a pink glow with the naked eye. It seemed like there was a bit of green light on the horizon that mixed in with the brighter city light coming from a main road a few miles north. Clearer views posted on Facebook nearby picked up the green.
Tomorrow could be better, but the peak storm appears to be nearer dusk so timing might play a role on if itās dark enough when it arrives.
pretty, but double plus ungood
magnetic poles are in the process of flipping, protective magnetic field is weakening as a result. another carrington event level (or greater) solar burst with a severely weakened magnetic field and itās a disaster for civilization. the electrical grid isnāt adequately hardened.
I was under the impression that the big CME arrived earlier than the last widely-distributed forecast called for ā last night (perfectly timed for North American aurora viewing) rather than today.
Sadly, it was cloudy with snow flurries in the air here last night. (Not that Iād see them from home, due to massive light pollution to the north.)
I think there were three CMEs being tracked, with the first two smaller ones hitting last night and the third to hit mid-day today with a +/-6 hour window. But, itās right in the middle of the day so will almost certainly be bad timing for the peak event in NA. Chance for some of the lingering effects to trail into the evening. My guess is last night was the event and tonight will disappoint.
I have been following an Aurora guy on FB but a bit of what I learned: The NOAA real time solar wind link I provided earlier measures the energy coming towards Earth, with about a 2 hour lead time. You want negative Bz (below -20) and a high solar wind (>700) for a chance to see things in the mid-lower latitude US. These were ~ -40, 720 last night around 6pm central and the show began a bit after 8.
Iām not in a great spot to see them either with shopping plazas less than 2 miles to the North, so donāt count out being able to see something, unless of course you are right on top of something like that.
A few minutes ago I got a bulletin from āSpaceweather Alertsā (which I subscribe to due to my primary hobby) mentioning that a third CME is still expected to be inbound.
The model on the SWPC dashboard I looked at this morning has its limits in complex situations.
Some people here in the north metro were able to get some pictures of the Aurora last night.
I was too lazy to walk outside and look. everyone else in town did this and got great photos they shared online. so I āsawā it eventually.
CME3 might be arriving, readings starting to jump around (+2 hours out).
CME impacting about now.
I FEEL IT!!
Wait, no I donāt.
Bz dropped to -17 30 minutes ago and a G1 storm is underway. Last night was in the G3-G5 range. So far, it is not impressive, but this is just the start of the event.
It could be worse
Bz flipped negative about 30 minutes ago. Around-15. Could be good timing for a round 2 this evening
I could see a little pink tint in the sky and my pictures were a little more of a tint but not all that great. Others around me posted amazing shots with very significant color.
My son-in-law in Albuquerque had some pretty good shots as well. Even his brother in LV had some good shots. I was pretty disappointed I didnāt get to see much. But Iām not very patient and didnāt go for a drive to a less lighted area like I had planned either so I mostly blame me.