SPACEWEATHER.COM NEWS: 10/09/2024
BIG X-CLASS SOLAR FLARE: Sunspot AR3848 was directly facing Earth this morning, Oct. 8th (0156 UTC), when it unleashed a powerful X1.8-class solar flare. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the extreme ultraviolet flash:
Auroras by lake near Cantwell, Alaska, taken by Todd Salat.
SPACEWEATHER.COM NEWS: 09/18/2024
Brilliant aurora bands play their song over a calm lake near Cantwell, Alaska just after 11 pm on September 16, 2024, as a near full moon rising to the right tunes up the rich foliage. THE EXPERIENCE This aurora display was the cherry on top after a beautiful drive across the rugged 135-mile-long Denali Highway from Paxson-to-Cantwell that I did earlier in the day. I thought I was in potential trouble when a surprisingly big snow squall stopped me in my tracks near Tangle Lakes and made me consider turning around… but I hadn’t come this far to tuck tail and backtrack, so I forged ahead. It was gray and; wet near sundown when I fueled up in Cantwell, but I got lucky again when the predominantly cloudy skies parted long enough for this beautiful aurora to come shining through. I love aurora hunting at this time of year for exactly this kind of experience, to watch nature sing its beautiful September song. ~ Todd Salat
