McMaster prof talks about possible northern lights in Southern Ontario
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Via the Winnipeg Free Press:
Canadians may be in for a visual treat tonight as solar flares heading for Earth could mean the northern lights are seen much farther south than usual.
The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics says the sun sent four stronger-than-normal eruptions toward our planet early Sunday morning.
The phenomenon that can cause a shimmering green sky are usually seen only in northern Canada.
But an astronomy professor at McMaster University in Hamilton says during a strong eruption they can be seen almost anywhere in the country.
Doug Welch says it's hard to tell the strength before the charged particles from the sun arrive, but it's worth a look outside overnight — especially for those in rural areas.
Depending on the strength of the flares, Welch says the look of the northern lights can range from a slightly green patch of light to synchronized flames of colour.
TheMist
says thanks to lorend for this post.
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08-03-2010 at 02:55 PM
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#2
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Thats pretty sick. Too bad it wont be seen in cities, because of the light pollution. But
I guess its worth a try.
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08-03-2010 at 04:31 PM
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#3
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Now that would be cool to see.
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08-03-2010 at 10:17 PM
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#4
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Offical Deal Blogger
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I know, it is on my bucket list to se the Northern lights and if i see i tonight, I just saved sh!tloads of money  |
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08-03-2010 at 10:22 PM
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#5
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G0DFATHER
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anyone seeing the light?
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08-03-2010 at 11:02 PM
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#6
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The article says it could start around 2am and last for 24hrs...but they don't know how strong it could be. It could be epic, or it could look like haze.
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08-04-2010 at 02:40 PM
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#7
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Did anyone see anything, cuz i didnt see shit. I was up at 2 trying to look, but saw nothing, so I just had a 2 am snack.  |
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08-04-2010 at 02:42 PM
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#8
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G0DFATHER
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I was too lazy to go out and look
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08-04-2010 at 02:48 PM
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I heard that it would have been visible around midnight, but I didn't see it anywhere in the sky. I was on a dock fifty meters out into a lake, no light pollution around. Still nothing.
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08-04-2010 at 03:37 PM
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#10
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Ya I didn't see anything either. It was cloudy and being in the middle of Hamilton didn't really help lol.
Anyways, there will be another chance to view the Northern Lights tonight as well as a meteor shower next week.
http://www.thespec.com/News/BreakingNews/article/820003
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08-04-2010 at 05:40 PM
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#11
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While looking for the non-existant northern lights last night, I saw a shooting star, so I guess it wasn't a total waste of time  I hope we can see the northern lights tonight, though! |
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08-04-2010 at 05:43 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nerual
While looking for the non-existant northern lights last night, I saw a shooting star, so I guess it wasn't a total waste of time I hope we can see the northern lights tonight, though! |
are you sure it wasn't an airplane? |
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08-04-2010 at 06:07 PM
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#13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by etoilex3
are you sure it wasn't an airplane?
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yes... |
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