Posts

Showing posts from March, 2023

Magical Aurora Borealis

Image
Aurora Borealis: dancing pretty lights Since moving to Duluth, MN in 2017, I have yearned to see the Northern Lights. I joined the Great Lakes Aurora Hunters Facebook Group. I downloaded the SpaceWeather Live app. I allowed push notifications for anything Kp4 or higher, which could signal aurora activity is visible in my area. I've studied the Kp-indices, solar flares, solar wind speed and interplanetary magnetic field. I learned about not only the moon phases but moon rise and moon set times as optimal aurora viewing requires a minimal amount of moonlight if possible. I've bookmarked the NOAA graphical forecast page to check the sky cover for cloudy weather. I've scouted out a couple viewpoints that are unobstructed, northern facing away from the city lights. (One is a large soccer field complex, the other is a dog park without too many tall trees or buildings blocking the view.)  Auroral activity: https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/en/auroral-activity.html Sky cover: https: