Space Weather News for August 17, 2006

http://spaceweather.com

AURORA WATCH: An explosion on the sun yesterday (Aug. 16) hurled a coronal
mass ejection (CME) toward Earth. The approaching cloud could spark a
geomagnetic storm when it arrives, probably on August 18th. Sky watchers
should be alert for auroras.

If a storm erupts, the best displays will be at higher latitudes: e.g.,
Alaska, Canada, and Scandinavia. However, auroras could descend to lower
latitudes, too, spreading across northern-tier US states from Maine to
Washington and elsewhere.

Sometimes during a geomagnetic storm, the sky appears to be blank--no
auroras. The display may be too faint to see with the unaided eye. Try using
your camera: a 15+ second exposure can reveal colorful auroras just below
the threshold of naked-eye visibility. An example of "photographic auroras"
over Colorado may be found in our most recent aurora gallery:

http://www.spaceweather.com/aurora/gallery_01aug06.htm

Please visit http://spaceweather.com for pictures of the August 16th
explosion and updates about the incoming CME.