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Aracheon
Mon Dec 1st, 2008, 10:16 AM
Have you seen this yet?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeAmKKrIVlc
dirkterrell
Mon Dec 1st, 2008, 10:22 AM
No, I hadn't seen that. Pretty cool. When I was in Calgary for my postdoc, I would be sitting in the telescope control room doing photometry and I'd see the numbers start going crazy. I'd go outside and see the aurorae going off. After I stopped cursing that they were screwing up my observations, I enjoyed watching them. :)

Dirk
Sortarican
Mon Dec 1st, 2008, 10:34 AM
One year (early 90's I think) while up in the high country hunting the Aurora Borealis was visible across the entire northern sky.
10,000 feet up, no city lights nearby, deep blanket of snow, it was hypnotic.
dirkterrell
Mon Dec 1st, 2008, 10:54 AM
One year (early 90's I think) while up in the high country hunting the Aurora Borealis was visible across the entire northern sky.
10,000 feet up, no city lights nearby, deep blanket of snow, it was hypnotic.

There was a massive solar storm in the early 90s that caused the aurorae to be visible even as far south as Florida. I saw them from Gainesville.

Dirk
Sortarican
Mon Dec 1st, 2008, 10:58 AM
There was a massive solar storm in the early 90s that caused the aurorae to be visible even as far south as Florida. I saw them from Gainesville.

Dirk

I'd seen them far up on the horizon before in PA and Ontario but that was the first time I'd seen them overhead.
I remember hearing about the solar flares/storms later.
I think they knocked out a couple satellites and messed with worldwide radio/TV reception.
dirkterrell
Mon Dec 1st, 2008, 10:59 AM
I'd seen them far up on the horizon before in PA and Ontario but that was the first time I'd seen them overhead.
I remember hearing about the solar flares/storms later.
I think they knocked out a couple satellites and messed with worldwide radio/TV reception.

Just looked it up: March 14, 1989 and, yeah, it was visible overhead. Edit: here's a satellite image of it as it was heading southward:

http://www.valdostamuseum.org/hamsmith/13Mar89EUS.gif

Dirk
BugHunter
Mon Dec 1st, 2008, 12:51 PM
OK, the video was amazing. Almost as interesting though is the banter on the youtube comments. Scroll down from the video and read a few pages. I gotta tell you, I love a good nerd fight.

" listen here asshole youre wrong dumbass. Stupid!If the 2nd law of thermodynamics intracombusts with the first law of the participles then youre a fucking asshole waste of a shit stupid! Participles are not related to the decay of black holes you stupid moron. asshole. Why dont you make like a tree and get out of here stupid. terd! "

See what I mean?
Sortarican
Mon Dec 1st, 2008, 01:13 PM
OK, the video was amazing. Almost as interesting though is the banter on the youtube comments.

GEEK FIGHT! GEEK FIGHT!

http://listverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/geek-fight.jpg
Snowman
Mon Dec 1st, 2008, 01:27 PM
http://weblogs.variety.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/05/07/bigbangst.jpg
Jason ON
Tue Dec 2nd, 2008, 07:18 PM
There was a massive solar storm in the early 90s that caused the aurorae to be visible even as far south as Florida. I saw them from Gainesville.

Dirk

When exactly? I left Florida in July 93.
dirkterrell
Tue Dec 2nd, 2008, 07:22 PM
When exactly? I left Florida in July 93.

See post 6.

Dirk
PsychoMike
Tue Dec 2nd, 2008, 09:36 PM
what caues that?
dirkterrell
Tue Dec 2nd, 2008, 10:20 PM
what caues that?

Charged particles from the solar wind spiral in along the magnetic field lines of the Earth and when they collide with atoms/molecules of the atmosphere, light is emitted. That's why you get increased auroral activity when solar flares pop off.

Dirk
PsychoMike
Tue Dec 2nd, 2008, 10:25 PM
space is amazing, it hurts my head to think about all the stuff up there lol.
dirkterrell
Wed Dec 3rd, 2008, 08:28 AM
space is amazing, it hurts my head to think about all the stuff up there lol.

Me too. :)

Dirk
Sortarican
Wed Dec 3rd, 2008, 08:39 AM
space is amazing, it hurts my head to think about all the stuff up there lol.

Yeah, there's gotta be over a hundred stars up there.
Snowman
Wed Dec 3rd, 2008, 08:49 AM
space is amazing, it hurts my head to think about all the stuff up there lol. Even worse is the stuff looking back at us from space. :alien:
irdave
Tue Dec 9th, 2008, 11:00 AM
Charged particles from the solar wind spiral in along the magnetic field lines of the Earth and when they collide with atoms/molecules of the atmosphere, light is emitted. That's why you get increased auroral activity when solar flares pop off.

Dirk

Thank you. I'd been wondering about that.
Devaclis
Tue Dec 9th, 2008, 11:04 AM
Areola Borealis:

An awe-inspiring spectacle of the nipple. Widely pursued but infrequently witnessed.
"Did you see those girls last night?"
"Oh man! That was a total areola borealis!"
Nick_Ninja
Tue Dec 9th, 2008, 11:06 AM
Areola Borealis:

An awe-inspiring spectacle of the nipple. Widely pursued but infrequently witnessed.
"Did you see those girls last night?"
"Oh man! That was a total areola borealis!"

Tit gazer.