Sun Storm To Cause Massive Auroral Display

glengyron writes "SMH reports a major geomagnetic storm will cause a spectacular display of shimmering coloured lights in the night sky of the Southern Hemsiphere. Read more here or check out the press release from the Australian Space Weather Agency (pdf)."

Comments

Saw a neat aurora display on Sunday...

[feidaykin]

I've lived here in Wisconsin all 23 years of my life, and on Sunday I saw the most impressive display of northern lights I've ever witnessed. The phenomena isn't unheard of here, but still rather uncommon. Sunday night's view was almost unbelievable, though... A huge patch of the sky was glowing, stretching nearly horizon to horizon. Being a bit of an astronomy buff, I love times like this because it ignites interest in the topic. Even among nerds, it seems interest in astronomy is sporadic at best... and among non-nerds, it's amazing how little even highly intelligent and educated people know about basic astronomy. I suppose the media doesn't help much since they get things wrong half the time. I've seen several TV shows say that seasons are caused by Earth's distance from the Sun... heh, guess "axis" is too hard a concept for the media? Maybe it's not a politically correct word... ;)

Actually, I enjoy talking with people that are clueless about astronomy because they tend to be the ones that show the most interest once they realize just how mysterious the universe is... Go astronomy!