# aurora possible tonight

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aurora-possible-tonight/178349>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [May 29, 2003, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aurora-possible-tonight/178349 "2003-05-29T19:53:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aurora-possible-tonight/178349/1 "2003-05-29T19:53:14Z")

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There’s been significant solar activity. Nothing is absolutely certain, but it’s worth checking the skies tonight.

The site [http://www.spacew.com](http://www.spacew.com) has lots of info, including sighting reports at [http://www.spacew.com/www/auroras.html](http://www.spacew.com/www/auroras.html).

Also see [http://www.spaceweather.com](http://www.spaceweather.com).

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**Author:** ![Howard\_Juneau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/bb73d2/32.png) [@Howard\_Juneau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Howard_Juneau)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aurora-possible-tonight/178349/2 "2003-05-29T21:33:39Z")

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Thanks for the “heads-up”. Last year we were able to see an aurora all the way down here in Louisville, KY!

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**Author:** ![stevephillips](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ab097/32.png) [@stevephillips](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stevephillips)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aurora-possible-tonight/178349/3 "2003-05-29T21:34:07Z")

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Interesting web sites. Thanks for posting them.

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**Author:** ![Miss\_Magic8ball](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Miss\_Magic8ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Magic8ball)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aurora-possible-tonight/178349/4 "2003-05-29T23:15:58Z")

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I don’t mean to brag or anything, but here we have “aurora”(we call them the northern lights) pretty much everynight. Its really coool… my birthday party last year the lights were so bright that I could’t sleep.h

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**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aurora-possible-tonight/178349/5 "2003-05-29T23:23:25Z")

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Miss M8B, that’s extremely cool!

[NOAA’s tips on viewing the aurora](http://www.sec.noaa.gov/Aurora/) with coverage maps.

At 20:19 UTC (3:19 PM Chicago Time) an alert was issued that the K-index went to 8! That means the aurora could possibly be seen as far south as New York or Indianapolis. However, it’s gone down since then, so it’s still not certain we’ll see anything tonight. Anyway, in Chicago we may be clouded out.

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**Author:** ![Dazzling\_White\_Diamonds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/41988e/32.png) [@Dazzling\_White\_Diamonds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dazzling_White_Diamonds)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aurora-possible-tonight/178349/6 "2003-05-30T02:47:50Z")

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Well, I’ll be dipped…

The clouds finally cleared, the K-index hops up to an 8 (wow!), and what happens? The IMF (interplanetary magnetic field) turns sharply north. Dammit!

(When the IMF is north, the geomagnetic activity is dampened, thus limiting the auroral activity)