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1.
Aurora Alert
Following
a massive X5-class solar flare on the Sun yesterday, Earth is expected to be hit
by the resulting coronal mass ejection (CME) today. This cloud of energised gas
is expected to trigger auroral displays all over the world, including Ireland,
throughout Thursday night and Friday morning, March 8th/9th.
When
to View
There
is a significant chance that the aurora borealis (northern lights) will be
visible from Ireland. We suggest keeping an eye on the northern sky throughout
Thursday evening and into Friday morning. If it appears, the aurora will have a
faint glow and if the activity is particularly strong it may have a green
and/or red colour. The aurora will most likely be visible just over the
northern horizon, but a strong display can result in the aurora being visible
all over the sky.
Where
to View
Ideally
it is best to watch the aurorae from a location as far north as possible, but
considering on the strength of this particular CME from the Sun,
they may be visible further south. We recommend picking anywhere that
has a dark sky with a clear northern horizon. This can be a location just
outside a town or city, or a dark parkland area.
Report
Your Observation
If you
see the aurora borealis, please let us know what you saw by emailing observe@astronomy.ie. We will aim to
include reports and photographs in an upcoming issue of Astronomy & Space. As
geomagnetic storms can affect radio communications we also welcome reports from
amateur radio operators.
2. Public Lecture: "Seeing Solar
Storms from Ireland"
The solar flare and upcoming northern lights come in advance
of Astronomy Ireland's March Public Lecture, Seeing Solar Storms from
Ireland, which will be delivered by top solar astronomer, Dr Peter
Gallagher, on Monday, March 12th at 8pm in Trinity College Dublin.
Dr Gallagher is helping develop the Irish section of a
European-wide radio telescope called LOFAR. This amazing project will allow
scientists to study the Sun and its solar flares to give us a better
understanding of how we can protect our satellites and communications systems
from these potentially harmful outbursts.
To book tickets or to order DVDs of this lecture, please
visit www.astronomy.ie