CME apparently slowed down. No…

2 thoughts on “CME apparently slowed down. No…”

1. Hi Paul:
   What do you mean by CME slowed down. Are you talking about the predicted time for the Aurora?
   Thanks- Karen

2. Karen,

   An aurora is caused by charged particles from the Sun interacting with the Earth’s upper atmosphere – causing it to glow (what we call an aurora). A CME (coronal mass ejection) is a massive cloud of charged particles that have been ejected from the Sun. Essentially we are waiting for them to arrive to produce an aurora.

   The CME’s arrival unfortunately doesn’t mean we will necessarily get to see an aurora. Depending on the orientation of the Earth’s magnetic field, a CME can actually get pushed away from the Earth (so to speak!). So all you can do is wait and cross your fingers. Unfortunately it is raining in Canberra (where I am) so I won’t be able to see if it happens. I will hear via email if anyone sees anything so stay tuned.

   Regards,

   Paul Floyd.