As Sitka waited for the dark, (as dark as it ever gets in May) we watched our glorious blue skies fade to dusk and clouds began to form. The forecast was for cloudy skies after sunset. Sunset is just after … Continue reading A Global Moment of Wonder
Yesterday was a magic day. Our son, Brian, came to Sitka to visit and Sitka obliged. We were watching Jamestown Bay when a pod of whales exploded from a bubble net. Then there was a beautiful sunset, but the best … Continue reading The Camera You Have With You.
The aurora started on April 8, a green glow behind the clouds. On April 9 we had a full blown Magnetic Storm firing solar particles into the atmosphere and creating a beautiful Aurora. Continue reading Magnetic Storm Warnings
Last night we had a magnetic storm, that triggered a major aurora that danced for more than 5 hours. I watched better than half of it, starting at about 9:30. Often the aurora were in constant motion, flashing not only … Continue reading Is the Aurora Plural or are they Singular?
Friday Spring arrived in Sitka. It was sunny, the crocus had popped up in the yard, the daffodils have just shown their green shoots peeking out from the soil, the skunk cabbage had returned to Navy Creek and the temperature … Continue reading Aurora and Sunset Hues in the Clouds
The NOAA website predicted a “minor magnetic storm” for August 30 and 31. As the weekend progressed the predictions of magnetic activity became more intense and prolonged, into the first days of September. And the clincher, the weather in Sitka … Continue reading A Minor Magnetic Storm
We are right in the middle of an Auroral down cycle. Sunspot activity peaks every 11 years. The next peak comes sometime late 2025 or early 2026. So, if we are in the trough, why is Sitka getting so many … Continue reading This Aurora Brought to You by a Drought in the Rainforest.
The University of Alaska told us that there was a magnetic storm coming. I started looking for aurora just after 10 PM on Sept 10. I watched and photographed the Aurora at Starrigavan. There were several people there, which was … Continue reading Overnight Aurora Sept 10 – 11
Last Night Suzi, Dave and I went out to look at the Aurora. At midnight we called it a night. I had just gotten home and before going to bed my Aurora Watch app told me that there would be … Continue reading Magnetic Storm!
Living in Alaska, with my window by the sea, I mark the turning of the seasons. I never let a solstice or equinox pass without some observation, a bonfire or some other ritual. But seasons turn on their own times, … Continue reading Summer to Fall.
I follow the University of Alaska Aurora Website that shows images of where the Aurora is expected in the next hour. A couple of days ago I read about a magnetic storm heading our way. I kept my eye on the … Continue reading Old Sitka, November 15, 3 AM, 24 Degrees
There is a new program offered by NOAA which predicts the aurora. It has a global projection and shows, based on colors, where the Aurora will be in 20 minutes. I sat in my hotel room watching the map … Continue reading Anchorage Aurora, 2014