Aurora Watchers Are Encouraged to Watch the Skies

Astroalert News

The naked eye sunspot group identified as NOAA Region 9393 produced numerous minor M-class x-ray flares today and one reasonably well correlated Earth-directed coronal mass ejection. This disturbance is projected to impact the Earth on 30 March and produce periods of minor to possibly brief major auroral storming over the high and perhaps some dark-sky middle latitude regions.

Aurora watchers are encouraged to watch the skies for activity beginning during the evening of 29 March and extending through the evening/early morning of 30/31 March.

Region 9393, which is now the largest sunspot group observed so far this solar cycle, is easily capable of producing some very significant and energetic solar activity. It continues to grow and is very complex magnetically with numerous centers of high magnetic gradients and strong magnetic shear that can lead to sufficient twisting of magnetic field lines in the sunspot groups to produce energetic solar flare explosions. So additional middle latitude watches of auroral activity will be possible during the next several days.