Earth is beginning to exit a stream of solar wind flowing from a large hole in the sun’s atmosphere. As a result, NOAA forecasters have lowered the odds of a geomagnetic storm today to only 35%. Arctic sky watchers should nevertheless remain alert for midnight auroras on Feb 3-4 as the solar wind speed is still near 600 km/s. Free: Aurora alerts.
When the solar wind stream first arrived on Jan. 31-Feb. 1, it delivered a blow to Earth’s magnetic field that sparked locally intense lights around the poles. M-P Markkanen observed this outburst over Lemmenjoki National Park in the Lapland of Finland:
“It was a mind blowing spectacle!” says Markkanen. “All night long, the sky was a showcase of aurora forms and colors — green, red, pink, purple, white, arcs, curtains, coronas, pulsing, and at times the whole sky was just glowing green from north to south.”
Dancing With Fools 
Awesome pic, I used to see Auroras in Northern MN in the winter and the skies were clear, curtains of colors as if they were blowing in the wind, giant spider like light flows, but nothing like the one pictured above.
LikeLike
It is special.
LikeLike
This is good, my Rep holds a town meeting and all hell breaks loose, the scum runs away with a police escort.
LikeLike
Coulda been worse.
LikeLike
Was raining gently. Slowly melting everywhere. B Street sidewalk passable. My side sidewalk is a sheet of ice.
LikeLike
“Grand Rapids … is in effect the capital of American Calvinism.”
LikeLike
Bill Maher’s “New Rules” Friday night were pretty good, meaning his final rule. He made me laugh out loud several times. It had to do with the Super Bowl. He said his pick was the Atlanta Falcons because the Patriot’s owner, a player named Tom Brady, and others, are Trump fans. Hence, he’s going to be cheering for the Falcons. He was pretty funny, if you stumble on the bit out there, make sure to watch it.
LikeLike
I caught Alec Baldwin doing his Trump on SNL last night. It was super, as usual. Made me laugh, of course.
Poor Trump. He was unable to undo the ban on the ban via the Washington State judge. Hearts and flowers, asshole.
LikeLike
Baldwin was so great. Will watch Real Time after the SB and Bridge of Spies.
LikeLike
Loved the Bannon character, urging him on. “Call Germany.” LOL!
LikeLike
How about the Shawn Sphincter skit, a hoot!
LikeLike
Bob’s in the LR, watching the Super Bowl. That’s weird, he NEVER watches that. He’s not a football guy. With his bad health all he can do is watch TV, so the game is something different. Guess that’s why he’s watching it.
LikeLike
I won 5k in the SB pool tonight, Falcons 8 Patriots 4.
Sorely needed.
LikeLike
Wish I could see the auroras from here. Only saw them twice, and they weren’t colorful. Mid Michigan’s latitude is a little low for it, I guess.
Lansing, Michigan latitude and longitude:
42.7325° N, 84.5555° W
LikeLike
The UP would be better for viewing, right about the same latitude I was.
LikeLike
Stockbridge, Michigan
42.4636° N, 84.2068° W
Except we’re 6 miles north of town.
LikeLike
I’ve a new stove. It’s black, a corning top. Jill, Brian and Pete brought it over, took the old one out, installed it, moved my fridge and put the sliders under it that I bought 5 years ago. The new floor we had put in way back isn’t smooth, it’s lumpy-like. Looks like slate, with indents like rock. I just couldn’t budge the stove OR the fridge. A guy who came out to fix the stove once, I asked him to help me put the feet under the stove. I’ve been able to move it out since, clean the mess behind and under it. I did that yesterday, not knowing when they were going to bring the stove. Good thing I did that yesterday. Swept up the dust bunnies, washed the scum that accumulated under the stove and found a blood pressure pill I’d lost a couple weeks ago between the counter and the stove. Of COURSE I’m going to take it. I don’t care about cooties, lol.
Jill and Brian bought a new stove and fridge for her house several months back. The first stove they delivered had a scratch on the top, so they called and a new one was delivered. The delivery guys didn’t take the first one back, said someone else would come for it.
No one came, Brian called the store. STILL no one came and the stove has been sitting in their barn every since. Jill finally asked me if I would like it. Bob said, “TAKE IT! I’d take it!>” I hemmed and hawed, then said I would. What the heck. After 53 years of cleaning burners, drip pans, lifting up the top of the stove to clean the area that things drip into, I deserve a corning top. Easy to take care of.
So, I have a black stove, it’s actually a new kind of stainless steel appliance called black stainless. Yup, looks black to me. Hope it doesn’t show smudges like black things tend to do, but I bet it will.
And my fridge is cream. Oh, well, I always liked black and white together. I don’t really care, as long as I have a stove and fridge.
Just watch, one of these days that store will call and ask for their stove, lol.
LikeLike
Don’t hold your breath.
LikeLike
Score!
LikeLike
Just realized I wasn’t hearing football. He’s watching bowling instead. Bob has always like to watch bowling, starting back in the days of Dick Weber, Earl Anthony.
LikeLike
Much more sane.
LikeLike
We are a society based on violence being ok, FOX TeeVee sure promotes it, ugh.
LikeLike
I watched the game for the new commercials that were mostly FOX shows of a violent nature. Christopher Walken did a Bai Bai drink commercial that made no sense but it was good to see him still alive and homely as ever. It was a crazy game, first ever Super Bowl that went in to overtime, the bookies in Reno had to be going nutz.
I’m glad you won a good chunk Jim, poor sux.
LikeLike
Peter Fonda commercial was a hoot.
LikeLike
Oh yea forgot that one, yea.
LikeLike
My bones a crying for bed, how about a .gif nightcap?
Looks like little Suzy got into Daddy’s stash again.
LikeLike