What can you expect to see at the Community Observatory this weekend?

Sadly, we will be closed this weekend. A construction crew accidentally cut off our lights and water. We are unable to provide a safe environment for our visitors. The weather will also a factor this weekend. We are hoping to have a resolution by the following weekend.
Did you see the Northern Lights this week? We didn’t expect much based on predictions. The aurora forecast for Tuesday night was for a good show as far south as Idaho or Oregon. What we got was one of the most impressive shows I have seen at this latitude. There are even reports showing the display in Texas and Arizona. We saw a bright red or pink display in Placerville. There was also a green section near the horizon. The images here are from our docents.
The aurora was caused by a CME (Coronal Mass Ejection). A CME is a massive burst of solar plasma ejected from the Sun’s outer atmosphere. The CME sends a stream of charged particles out into space traveling millions of miles per hour. Most often, that stream of particles is not directed towards Earth. The stream that hit us Tuesday and into Wednesday interacted with atmosphere to create the aurora. Since the particles are charged, they are influenced by magnetism. The magnetic field of Earth draws them towards the poles. That is why they usually occur at the most extreme northern or southern latitudes. These CMEs are most likely during “Solar Maximum” which is a period every eleven years when the Sun’s activity peaks. We are at Solar Maximum now.

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