An Aurora Watch alert was issued on August 21, 2013, by IPS Radio and Space Services, indicating a coronal mass ejection (CME) from a solar filament eruption observed on August 20. This CME is expected to impact Earth around August 23, 2013, with potential auroral activity due to its favorable magnetic field structures. Although the CME is primarily directed southward, historical data suggests that similar CMEs have produced significant auroras. Aurora watchers should monitor updates at the IPS website for real-time information.
PREREQUISITESAurora enthusiasts, astrophotographers, and individuals interested in space weather phenomena will benefit from this discussion.
SUBJ: IPS AURORA WATCH
ISSUED AT 0043 UT ON 21 Aug 2013 BY IPS RADIO AND SPACE SERVICES
FROM THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORECAST CENTRE
A coronal mass ejection from a solar filament eruption was observed on
the 20th of August and is expected to strike the Earth midway through
the day on the 23rd of August UT (around midnight or early morning on
the 24th of August AEST). The CME was directed mostly to the south, so
this will be a glancing blow at best. However, recent CMEs of solar
filament origin have been more effective at producing Auroras than
might be expected from coronagraph images alone, due to the magnetic
field structures within the ejected plasma behaving differently to
flare produced CMEs and being more favourable for producing Aurora.
Significant uncertainties in the analysis of this event remain, so
Aurora watchers are advised to follow the progress of this event at
http://www.ips.gov.au/.