Watch the Skies
Today, for the first time in years, the machinery at Lancaster University suddenly ground into action and sent me a text message informing me of a “Possible Sudden Storm Commencement”.
[Update 18:15 - Lancaster University emailed to say it was a false alarm caused by "man made disturbances at the field site"]
This is not just any storm, this is Space Weather.
In rough terms, our sun has an 11 year cycle of activity. At the peak of the cycle, we see lots of sun spots and occasionally, in what is known as a coronal mass ejection, the sun spits out a puff of plasma consisting mainly of subatomic particles. Sometimes, these CMEs head straight for the earth at an average speed of about 500 kilometers per second and when they arrive, they interact with the Earth’s magnetic field. The result is that some particles get trapped in the Earth’s magnetic field and they travel down the towards the poles, where the field lines are close together and almost vertical. When the particles reach the ionosphere, they interact with (ionise) gasses and cause the gas to glow, resulting in one of nature’s most spectacular sights that we know as the Aurora Borealis 
(northern lights) or Aurora Australis (southern lights). This is also known as a magnetic storm and the magnetic activity can interfere with communications, satellites and electrical equipment here on Earth.
Recently, the sun has been quiet. Too quiet. The last solar maximum was back in 2001 and the expected increase in activity hasn’t happened – yet. Usually in nature, when things go ‘out of whack’ there is a compensation and some scientists are predicting that the next maximum, expected in 2012, will be the largest since 1859 when the Northern Lights were visible as far south as Rome.
So today’s AuroraWatch Red Alert is significant, it may be the re-awakening of the sleeping giant. I have seen the Auroa Borealis twice in my life, once in 2001 in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming USA and the second time in 2002 from the top of Eglwysilan, South Wales. I’m really hoping to make it a hat trick.
If you want to see the Aurora, you’ll need to be determined. If you are anywhere near street lamps or city lights, forget it. You’ll need to get to a remote location away from light pollution so you have dark skies and you can see plenty of stars. It’ll also need to be a clear night and of course you’ll have checked AuroraWatch to see if an display is even likely. Then, if you’re lucky, you might just see some activity in the northern sky. When I saw the Aurora from Wales, I was on Eglwysilan mountain above Pontypridd and the display was faint milky-white rays with the occasional tinge or orange.