BBC Saturday, 31 March, 2001, 05:14 GMT 06:14 UK Earth hit by solar storm The solar activity is expected to produce an aurora in northern skies Telecommunications may be disrupted briefly and the northerly night skies will shimmer red and green this weekend as intense storms rage on the sun, scientists say. The biggest sunspot cluster seen in at least 10 years has developed on the upper right quarter of the side of the sun visible from Earth, according to satellite readings. Nasa scientists said the most powerful flare erupted on Thursday, but it takes 24 to 36 hours for the effects to be felt on earth. It was rated a class X, the most potent category of sunspot, the other flares were less intense. The eruptions triggered a powerful, but brief, blackout on Friday on some high-frequency radio channels and low-frequency navigational signals. The flares are expected to persist for several days and experts are predicting that there is at least a 30% chance of disruptions continuing through until Sunday.

It is the biggest sunspot cluster for years The solar activity is also expected to produce an aurora in the night sky over northern latitudes. Damage on the ground The colourful, shimmering glow occurs when the energetic particles strike the Earth's upper atmosphere. In addition to radio disruptions, the charged particles can bombard satellites and orbiting spacecraft and, in rare cases, damage industrial equipment on the ground, including power generators and pipelines. The sunspot, which is a cooler, darker region on the sun's surface, is caused by a concentration of temporarily distorted magnetic fields. It spawns tremendous eruptions, or flares, into the sun's atmosphere, hurling clouds of electrified gas toward Earth. Monster sunspot Geoff Elston, director of the solar section of the British Astronomical Association (BAA), has been studying the monster sunspot, Noaa 9393, for several days. "It is definitely the largest we have seen for a long time, probably for many decades," he told BBC News Online. "It has overtaken the size of the most recent large one that occurred in March 1989." Although very large by normal standards, Noaa 9393 is way short of the all-time record holder. That title is held by a spot group, which appeared in 1947. It was three times larger than Noaa 9393.

-- Anonymous, March 31, 2001

Answers

Response to SUNSPOTS - Latest, with pics

Anyone have information on optimal settings to use on cameras and camcorders to shoot the aurora? (Alas, mine seems to need the "heavy cloud cover" setting)

-- Anonymous, March 31, 2001

Response to SUNSPOTS - Latest, with pics

On 20 March, 2001, the first significant aurora storm of the year was captured using Kodak Supra 800 print film with 35 mm lens at F/2.0 (6 secs). The corona appears as a bird in flight. *** SOLAR MAX has arrived! Between 20 and 24 March, 2001, There were 3 major aurora storms visible over Alaska under clear and very cold skies (-25F). The following set of pictures were taken on the 24th, with my Nikon FM-2, Nikkor 35mm f/1.4, using Kodak's Supra 800 print film. Because of the rapidly changing conditions, I have no idea what many of the exposure times were, but after seeing these images, you may forgive my lap of memory since my eyes were focused on the heavens above. More images of the 20 and 23 March, 2001 storms show the variety of forms that accompany every display. On the 20th, I captured three separate corona taken within 5 minutes of one another. On the 23rd, a west surge sequence was taken over a one minute period while bands and rays dominated the skies until midnight. Film: Supra 800. Corona taken at f/2 @ 7 secs, at half second separation. Please remember that all my aurora images are intended for non-commercial, educational uses and are copyrighted (1995-2001, Jan Curtis).

-- Anonymous, March 31, 2001

Same source as above

Focus On the Aurora Borealis

The northern lights, or Aurora Borealis in scientific terms, are most frequently seen at the equinoxes and during periods of sunspot activity. While they are most prevalent above the Arctic circle, spectacular displays are sometimes seen in the middle of latitudes. They are extremely challenging photographic subjects because, as bright as they seem to the eye, they do not emit a great deal of light, and they move across the sky and shimmer rapidly. Here are some tips for capturing these mysterious and beautiful natural phenomenon:

1. Use a single reflex camera (SLR) with a wide angle lens. Unfortunately, point and shoot camera users are at a disadvantage because these cameras do not offer the exposer control you will need. 2. If shooting in cold conditions, use a camera with a mechancial shutter, since it will prefoem longer: batteries become incapacitated at below zero temperatures. 3. Use a fast film, at least ISO 400, but photographers who shoot the lights a lot generally use ISO 1600 film. You'll also need a tripod and a cable release. 4. Bracket your exposures. You can leave the lens wide open since you will not need much depth of field. Start with an exposure of 10 seconds, and double it with each successive shot (20, 40, 80) untill you reach 160 seconds. The lights vary a great deal in intensity, so bracketing is a must. 5. Get out of town. The lights of a city or town will degrade the quality of the northern lights. The darker it is around you the better. 6. Try to include some point of reference in the foreground, suach as a tree, to give some context to the photo. 7.Do not expect great results the first time out;these lights require patience. They are probley one of the most diffcult photographic subjects you can attempt. 8. Dress warmly, atke a spare battery in an inside pocket (to keep it warm), and have a thermos of something warm to drink.

-- Anonymous, March 31, 2001

Great info Old Git... if you decide to post this at TB2K, use the admin edit function, then cut and paste, turning on the html function on ezboard...

Glad SOME folks got to see them last night, especially SARO, your patience paid off girl!

-- Anonymous, March 31, 2001

WAAAHHH!!! Before I die....Mrs. GDD just said. I agree, it's something I'd love to see before taking my final dirt-nap.

Way way cool pic's.

-- Anonymous, March 31, 2001