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RSS icon Comments on Northern Lights in Seattle Tonight

1

Ok...so could it be seen in the city, or do we have to head to Woodinville? And what time of night?

Posted by Half of it | September 2, 2007 3:14 PM
2

The moon will be pretty bright once it rises around 10-11pm, do you think that'll make a difference?

Posted by boydmain | September 2, 2007 3:15 PM
3

@1. Heading out of town definitely would help. If I wasn't so slammed with work this weekend, I'd be driving right now to camp on the East side of the cascades -- less chance for cloud cover.

@2 The moon should rise around 10pm PDT and set by 1:30a ish, at least according to this calendar. But, for sure, after the moon has set will be better.

Give how cloudy it looks right now, I'm trying to keep optimistic.

Posted by Jonathan Golob | September 2, 2007 3:24 PM
4

Likely you'd need to be quite a ways north of Seattle to see an aurora tonight. The geomagnetic storm hit earth last night and there were auroras reported in Alaska, Scandinavia and Canada.

"The storm that caused these lights ranked 5 on the 0 to 9 K-index scale of geomagnetic activity. The display has subsided, but it could flare up again tonight."

http://spaceweather.com/

Certainly not a big enough storm to inspire a drive over the mountains.

Posted by sky eyes | September 2, 2007 4:45 PM
5

It's not obvious from that calendar, but I believe the predicted moonrise/set times are actually 10 PM PDT and 2:56 PM tomorrow. In other words, the moon will rise at 10 tonight, and stay up the rest of the night. In case that means anything to anybody.

Posted by PAB059 | September 2, 2007 6:03 PM
6

I wondered why my knee was acting up. Shrapnel, y'see. When the magnetism gets fiercelike, she just . . . well, nevermind.

Posted by Ziggity | September 2, 2007 7:23 PM
7

Dear Science,

How would it ever be possible for the moon to rise, then set two and a half hours later in Seattle?

Posted by Chas | September 2, 2007 7:57 PM
8

@5,7.

Yeah, I'm an idiot. Serves me right for enthusiastically posting on Slog after working for a month and a half straight.

Still, the thick cloud deck should block both any Aurora and the moon. So, huzzah!

Back to work.

Posted by Jonathan Golob | September 2, 2007 8:42 PM
9

a good aurora can be seen even in twilight- last one I saw was when I was hiking down off of Mt Baker about an hour after sunset, about 10 years ago. I can see the milky way from my house in Oakland tonight, but no aurora :(

Good luck, you northerners!

Posted by glasspusher | September 2, 2007 10:25 PM
10

You people are so superstitious..

Posted by Rube | September 2, 2007 11:39 PM
11

Jonathan, thanks for the science. The tiny science/physics/astronomy/weather sail of my tall ship of amateur hobbies is puffed fuller on Slog.

Posted by Lloyd Clydesdale | September 4, 2007 12:36 PM

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