Australian Bureau of Meteorology advisory for visible aurora: https://www.sws.bom.gov.au/Aurora
Is that tonight or last night?
It was only issued this morning Australian time, so I presume it's for tonight.
Level S4 solar radiation event
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Re: Level S4 solar radiation event
#62Hopefully it's clear space weather for Artemis II coming up. I wonder what they do if it's inclement en route ?
There's not that much they can do. It's often discussed that if the extreme August 1972 solar storm had overlapped with an Apollo mission (it didn't), it would have acutely sickened the astronauts.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_1972_solar_storms#Human...
> "Had a mission been taking place during August, those inside the Apollo command module would have been shielded from 90% of the incoming radiation. However, this reduced dose could still have caused acute radiation sickness if the astronauts were located outside the protective magnetic field of Earth, which was the case for much of a lunar mission. An astronaut engaged in EVA in orbit or on a moonwalk could have experienced severe radiation poisoning, or even absorbed a potentially lethal dose."
The Orion capsule's contingency plan looks something like this:
> "To protect themselves, astronauts will position themselves in the central part of the crew module largely reserved for storing items they’ll need during flight and create a shelter using the stowage bags on board. The method protects the crew by increasing mass directly surrounding them, and therefore making a denser environment that solar particles would have to travel through, while not adding mass to the crew module itself."
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/artemis/orion/scientists-and-e...
Re: Level S4 solar radiation event
#63We had intense aurora in Berlin, Germany. Green clouds dancing in the sky levels. Started around 22:10 local time or a bit earlier, and at this point there's only a faint red/green glow remaining.
Yeah, there were auroras even as far south as Munich. Maybe not as intense, but it's the first aurora I ever saw, so I can't really judge...
I am south-west of Munich and with a perfect clear sky I could only see stars, one meteor, and that's it.
Re: Level S4 solar radiation event
#64If anyone is interested in what "G4" means in context, here's the scale: https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/noaa-scales-explanation
so more of a 'bad storm here and there' level?
Re: Level S4 solar radiation event
#65Nice, you can already see some solar flares in Austria again. https://www.foto-webcam.eu/webcam/kleinfleisskees/ https://www.foto-webcam.eu/
Oh wow! https://www.foto-webcam.eu/webcam/ederplan/2026/01/20/0000 And up at the top right, left to "Latest" you can skip the time back and forth at 10 minute intervals. And then jump back like 10 images, what a beauty. You can even see Starlink satellites https://www.foto-webcam.eu/webcam/ederplan/2026/01/19/1820
Possibly the most brilliant are around:
- https://www.foto-webcam.eu/webcam/ederplan/2026/01/19/2230
- https://www.foto-webcam.eu/webcam/ederplan/2026/01/19/2240
Incredible, thanks so much!
Re: Level S4 solar radiation event
#66We had intense aurora in Berlin, Germany. Green clouds dancing in the sky levels. Started around 22:10 local time or a bit earlier, and at this point there's only a faint red/green glow remaining.
I was just out at a dog park and saw nothing! We have clear skies. I can't believe I missed this.
Re: Level S4 solar radiation event
#67Although everyone is interested in visible aurora, the proton flux is also really impressive. It peaked at 37,000 pfu at 1910Z. The highest ever recorded was 43,500 pfu in March 1991.
Re: Level S4 solar radiation event
#68If anyone is interested in what "G4" means in context, here's the scale: https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/noaa-scales-explanation
G4: " Induced pipeline currents affect preventive measures, HF radio propagation sporadic..."
G5: " Pipeline currents can reach hundreds of amps, HF (high frequency) radio propagation may be impossible in many areas for one to two days..."
Re: Level S4 solar radiation event
#69If anyone is interested in what "G4" means in context, here's the scale: https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/noaa-scales-explanation
We are at kp 8.67. The Carrington event was a kp 9
I am not an expert, but it’s worth noting that the kp index has a maximum value of 9. So though the Carrington event had a kp of 9, its intensity on the related (but not capped) HP30/HP60 scale [1] would likely have been higher.
[1] https://kp.gfz.de/en/hp30-hp60
Re: Level S4 solar radiation event
#70There is a video update from the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center.
(I could only find this on Facebook)
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1190509063198524