CME Impact today

[michael-lloyd]

Cut and past from an email i sent to netslyder

I just got an alert on my iPhone (Solar Ham app). The Planetary K Index is 5. Solar wind us at 600. Bz is positive 2.8

According to http://www.solarham.net

13:01 UTC is so this isn’t the latest info. I’m sure he’ll be posting more info soon

This is the first time that I’ve seen a CME impact alert since I started watching the sun (few years) regularly. The CME apparently swept past earth at UTC 10:57. I kind of wish I was up north. The aurora might be quite a show tonight


"Ground based magnetometers detected a deviation in ground current Sunday morning at 10:57 UTC and this signaled the passage of an incoming coronal mass ejection (CME) past our planet. Solar wind speeds as measured by the ACE Spacecraft also increased to above 700 km/s, the same speed originally predicted by the WSA-Enlil Solar Wind model. The Bz component of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) initially pointed north, however it could eventually swing south in the wake of an impact. Minor (G1) geomagnetic storming is now being observed at high latitudes. Stay tuned for the latest updates.
ALERT: Geomagnetic K-index of 5
Threshold Reached: 2014 Apr 20 1301 UTC
Synoptic Period: 1200-1500 UTC
Active Warning: Yes
NOAA Scale: G1 - Minor
Potential Impacts: Area of impact primarily poleward of 60 degrees Geomagnetic Latitude.
Induced Currents - Weak power grid fluctuations can occur.
Spacecraft - Minor impact on satellite operations possible.
Aurora - Aurora may be visible at high latitudes, i.e., northern tier of the U.S. such as northern Michigan and Maine.