CME IMPACT, SEVERE GEOMAGNETIC STORM + BRIGHT FIREBALL, POSSIBLE METEORITE FALL | SPACEWEATHER.COM
CME IMPACT, SEVERE GEOMAGNETIC STORM: Arriving earlier than expected, a CME hit Earth's magnetic field on March 17th at approximately 04:30 UT. At first, the impact sparked a relatively mild G1-class (Kp=5) geomagnetic storm. Since then, however, the storm has intensified to G4-class (Kp=8), ranking it as the strongest geomagnetic storm of the current solar cycle. This storm is underway now. Before sunrise, bright auroras were sighted over several northern-tier US states including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Montana, the Dakotas and Washington. Marketa Murray sends this picture from Dalton Highway in Alaska:
"The auroras were insane," says Marketa who regularly runs a photography workshop on the Arctic Circle. She has seen a lot of auroras. "I have never seen anything like this."
This storm could continue for many hours to come as Earth passes through the turbulent wake of the CME. Stay tuned for updates. Geomagnetic storm alerts: text, voice
BRIGHT FIREBALL, POSSIBLE METEORITE FALL: On March 15th, a meteor exploded
over southern Germany. The shadow-casting fireball was brighter than
the full Moon and it produced loud sonic booms – a sign that it
penetrated deep in the atmosphere and may have dropped meteorites on the
ground. Attracted by the sounds, astrophotographer Hans Hopf of
Bavaria, Germany, turned his camera to the sky just in time to capture a
plume of debris twisting in the winds overhead:
"I could see the 'smoke' twisting and turning through the constellation Orion for more than 20 minutes after the meteor exploded," says Hopf. "The field of view of these images is about 10 degrees. The bright star is Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis)."
The International Meteor Organization is gathering eyewitness reports through their new online reporting tool.
European readers, if you witnessed this event, please report it.
Your sighting could help pinpoint the landing zone of possible
meteorites.
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