<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div>A possible treat for those living in the north. </div><div>I'd love to receive observation reports and pics from my readers. </div><div>I'll publish in next month's newsletter (with your permission of course).</div><div>73 & Keep looking up!</div><div>Burness Ansell</div><div>Publisher, IAAS Monthly Astronomy Newsletter<br><br><br>Begin forwarded message:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><b>From:</b> "<a href="mailto:starman@usa.net">starman@usa.net</a>" <<a href="mailto:starman@usa.net">starman@usa.net</a>><br><b>Date:</b> January 8, 2014 at 4:15:04 PM MST<br><b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:ki0ar@yahoo.com">ki0ar@yahoo.com</a><br><b>Subject:</b> <b>North American Skies Email Alert: Auroras Possible</b><br><b>Reply-To:</b> <a href="mailto:starman@usa.net">starman@usa.net</a><br><br></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
<meta content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1" http-equiv="content-type">
<title>North American Skies Email Alert</title>
<div style="width: 800px;">
<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">North American Skies Email
Alert: Auroras Possible<br>
</span></i>
<p><i><b>Wednesday, 8 January 2014</b></i><br>
</p>
<hr>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Northern Lights!<br>
</b></span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/pmap/"><img alt="N. Polar oval, SWPC/NOAA" style="border: 0px none ; margin: 0px 5px; display: inline; float: left;" src="http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/pmap/gif/pmapN.gif" align="left" border="0" height="267" hspace="15" vspace="15" width="300"></a>Wednesday,
8 January 2014<br>
<br>
I do not always send out alerts like this, just because they are so
iffy. However, this time it seemed appropriate.<br>
<br>
The Space Weather Prediction Center of NOAA predicts that there is a
reasonable chance of auroras, Wednesday through Friday nights from
Pennsylvania to Oregon across the US and northward through Canada and
Alaska. The best chance, in my opinion only, may be Thursday night into
Friday morning. (SWPC <a href="http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/" target="_blank">http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/)</a> Also see these links
<a href="http://goo.gl/alKe" target="_blank">http://goo.gl/alKe</a>
& <a href="http://goo.gl/oMJ7h" target="_blank">http://goo.gl/oMJ7h</a><br>
<br>
So, if you are in Calgary, are you guaranteed a show? Or what about the
San Francisco area, or DFW, or my hometown of Little Rock, or even
Miami.... is there any chance?<br>
<br>
This is just a general alert and no one can really be more specific.
For all that matter, nothing at all may be seen, but the conditions are
favorable. Something likely is to be seen, although it could stay north
of the Canadian border. So while Calgary has pretty good chances, given
clear skies, the farther South you go the lower the overall odds.<br>
<br>
However, the exact locations are notoriously difficult to predict and
sometimes "surprise" auroras are seen much farther South. Within the
past few years, reports have come in from as far South as SoCal and
Arizona, and they have been seen several times here in Colorado. But
the fact is, active monitoring of auroras and the specific solar
activity that causes them is fairly recent and not as "advanced" say as
meteorology today. <br>
<br>
The earthly weather folks have gotten pretty accurate with short range
forecasts over the next day or two, but space weather scientists are
not quite that far along just because they do not have the backlog of
experience and understanding (as a study). Others may differ, but I
would say that spaceweather is where the earthly weather predictions
were maybe 15-20 years ago. So they can predict the general conditions
well, but on the specifics they are a bit less accurate. Just, IMO.<br>
<br>
If it is clear where you are, and especially if you are somewhere in
the northern tier of US states or in Canada, check outside before you
go to bed over the next few nights. A fairly bright (and brightening)
Moon will interfere until it sets, which unfortunately not until after
1 or 2 am and getting later each night. You might check out these pages
to get a better idea for Oregon: <a href="http://www.sec.noaa.gov/pmap/" target="_blank">http://www.sec.noaa.gov/pmap/</a>
and
<a href="http://helios.swpc.noaa.gov/ovation/images/Aurora_Map_N.png" target="_blank">http://helios.swpc.noaa.gov/ovation/images/Aurora_Map_N.png</a><br>
<br>
Larry Sessions<br>
<b><br>
</b><br>
For day-to-day listings, please check out the North American Skies
Twitter feed: <b><a href="https://twitter.com/NASkies">NASkies</a></b>
You do <i><b>not</b></i> have to have a Twitter account, nor do
you have to "follow" the account to view it.</p>
<hr size="2" width="100%">
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Want more?</b></span></p>
<p>Here are some links for you. <br>
<a href="http://EarthSky.com">EarthSky.com</a><br>
<a href="http://www.earthsky.org/">http://www.earthsky.org</a><br>
<a href="http://Spaceweather.com">Spaceweather.com</a><br>
<a href="http://www.spaceweather.com/">http://www.spaceweather.com/</a><br>
North American Skies Twitter page:<br>
<a href="http://twitter.com/NASkies">http://twitter.com/NASkies</a><br>
North American Skies Skywatcher<br>
<a href="http://paper.li/NASkies/north-american-skies">http://paper.li/NASkies/north-american-skies</a><br>
Satellites, ISS passage predictions and more<br>
<a href="http://is.gd/PCMf3p">ISS & SATELLITE PASSAGES<br>
</a><br>
And on Facebook, Northern Skies:<br>
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/people/Northern-Skies/100001296632953?ref=search">http://www.facebook.com/people/Northern-Skies/100001296632953?ref=search</a><br>
and EarthSky:<br>
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/EarthSky">http://www.facebook.com/EarthSky</a><br>
Good luck and clear skies</p>
<p>Remember, "It's all over your head!"<br>
<a href="mailto:starman@usa.net">Larry Sessions</a>, Denver<br>
Feel free to email your questions.</p>
<p><a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Esternmann/index.htm">If you are
not already a member of this North American Skies email alert list, you
can sign up here:<br>
</a><a name="North_American_Skies_email_alert" id="North_American_Skies_email_alert"></a><a href="http://www.mscd.edu/%7Ephysics/astro/NASsubscribe.htm">North
American Skies email alert</a><br>
and you should consider joining Jeff Bennett's email list:<br>
<a href="http://www.jeffreybennett.com/">Jeff Bennett's News Articles
and Newsletters</a><br>
(Jeff is an author and PhD astronomer in Boulder, Colorado)<br>
In the Southern Hemisphere? check out Ian Maclean's<br>
<a href="http://everythingastronomy.com/">Night Sky Secrets page</a><br>
For a daily fix of science news and views, visit:<br>
<b><a href="http://www.earthsky.org/">EarthSky.org</a></b><br>
And for great music to observe or work by, try King FM (Seattle), KDFC
(San Francisco) or KVOD (Denver):<br>
<b><a href="http://www.king.org/">King FM</a><br>
<a href="http://www.kdfc.com/">KDFC</a><br>
<a href="http://www.cpr.org/#load_category_page%7CClassical_Music">KVOD</a></b></p>
<p><b> </b><a href="http://www.ymlp255.net/"><br>
</a></p>
</div>
<div id="container1">
<hr>
<p> <i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></i></p>
<p><b> </b><a href="http://www.ymlp255.net/"><br>
</a></p>
</div>
<!--YMLPUF--><div align="center" style="padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:10px;font-family:Verdana;font-size:8pt;color:#000000;"><hr noshade="" color="#000000" width="50%" size="1">
<a href="http://ymlp255.net/ugubbjemgsghsguhbgghshwyh" style="color:#000000;">Change email address / Leave mailing list</a>
<br>
<a href="http://ymlp255.net/m/" style="color:#000000;">Powered by YMLP</a>
</div><!--YMLPUFE-->
</div></blockquote></body></html>