Solar Activity and Winter Observing

We could be going through Solar max now: 
 Latest graph: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/SolarCycle/

The latest graph of sunspot count:

SUBSIDING STORM: Last night, Nov. 13/14, Northern Lights spilled across the Canadian border into the United States during a moderately strong (Kp=6) geomagnetic storm. Spotters report naked-eye auroras just barely over Colorado. Cal is always possible so keep looking up and North. Active Astro sites prove to be the best for catching aurora posts but this NOAA page gives you a Kp map - Click on North America:
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/Aurora/#kpmaps

Click to images to enlarge!

This Email alert can hedge you bets for solar flares and aurorae - I use it for h-alpha:
Real Time e-mail Solar Flare Alert: http://www.ips.gov.au/mailman/listinfo/ips-flare-alert  (see also http://www2.gi.alaska.edu/AuroraAlerts/ )

Solar Observing Nov 4th

Observe The Sun Safely - Never look at the Sun without a proper filter! 

Solar Programs are held 1st Sunday of every Month 2:00-4:00 PM at Houge Park  weather permitting

Take The Sunspot Quiz:

http://solar-center.stanford.edu/quizzes/sunspot_quiz_flash.html 

Solar Observing November 4th was sublime. Nice because the weather was perfect - cool temperature, clear skies and fair seeing. The Sunspot count was in the 40's with 4 sunspot pairs - two above the solar equator - two "mirror images" below. That was too neat to see :)

The symmetry of the Sun's magnetic field lines means that a sunspot pair which forms above the equator can equally likely form a mirror image below the equator - a negative ( -x , -y )  mirror image.

Sunspot generally form in pairs.

A sunspot pair can again be formed as a mirror image below the sun's equator because of the symmetry of the sun's magnetic field.

H-Alpha Prominences were large and notable all around the solar disk: hedge shape, spicule and branching tree shapes noted.

Folks we are a just a standard deviation from the solar cycle maximum.