While I was asleep, there was another flare event ~5x larger than what I was losing my shit over earlier. It's big. If conditions are anywhere near what I think they probably will be, you're not going to need to get too far outside of the city to see these bad boys. "Friday night lights" (but maybe on Thursday). Take your optics anyway. I'll turn your hubwheel orange with an updated forecast, I'm still waiting for more data to confirm the large CME that I suspect is inbound for Earth. I envy you so much right now.
Not yet. My gut says wee morning hours of Friday, right before we'll rotate into daylight. Hopefully it's a big enough event to maintain the aurora until the sun sets. I think there's a very good chance that it will be, but I'm waiting to hear whether or not the magnetic field is oriented in the correct direction to give us maximum action. We may not know for sure until it hits Lagrange point 1, less than an hour upstream of us.
OMFG bro. It's here earlier than anyone thought. And the magnetic field is the most ideal for producing aurora that I've ever seen! Start driving out of the city. Like, now. I'll let you know if the conditions change, but I was worried I'd overhyped this, and it looks like I didn't. If the solar wind conditions hold like they are right now, this will be one for the record books. Let me know what you do! Tonight is the night.
Oh god damnit. I'm sorry man. As far north as you are, it shouldn't be too hard to see some more aurorae within a few years, if you make it a priority. Maybe tomorrow night. Aced quals, btw. Getting drunk
Yuge CME confirmed. I'll walk back on my earlier words, the best viewing will probably be on Friday evening for us in the 'states. ACE data from Lagrange point 1 says that the CME from Monday's flare hasn't even arrived there yet, and you'll need at least two hours after it hits ACE to see aurora. Tonight won't be bad viewing, but Friday will be spectacular. Friday's aurora may actually be too far south of you, still dunno about that B-field direction, but this CME about to hit should give us an idea. I guarantee that there are some folks in the spaceweather modeling and forecasting communities working around the clock right now. Besides me, I mean (quals tomorrow, lol).