Well, at about 3 pm we had a good hit. bZ -5 nT. Aurora is absolutely viewable on camera at that level.
But, it’s now not 3 pm. In fact, it can be none more 3 pm. I’m usually functioning in about three different time modalities, so- maybe it’s a moment to discuss Universal Time, since we’ve had a lot of new members lately.
So as you can imagine, trying to keep track of things in space is difficult, because space doesn’t really function on the same time space continuum as different areas of Earth, because space is not dependent on its position in relation to the sun. Our time here on Earth is organized according to whether we are in the light of the giant orb, or not. But yet, we all have to communicate with one another. You probably wouldn’t believe me if I told you that this time adjustment we live with here on Earth is relatively recent, but, it is. Time was a local phenomenon based on the relation of a town to the sun until the early 1900s. The need for a standardized time happened because- well- the trains must run according to schedule. With the advent of rail transportation, folks had to be able to make connections in distant cities functioning in different time zones. In which case, some semblance of standardized time had to be addressed.
However, we aren’t trying to take a train to Jupiter. But, thanks to the need to organize rail travel so that people actually arrived where they needed to be in some semblance of decency and with all their luggage (which today, is not possible and I advocate for a return to rail and steamer travel immediately) a universal system of time keeping had to be employed.
There have been some permutations, but, UTC seems to be working out, and for our purposes as Space People, UTC it is. The new day begins right now at 8:00 pm Maine Time. Soon, it will be 7:00 pm. Which means I will have to write my forecast earlier 🙂
The best thing is to just remember that right now, things happen in space four hours ahead of where we are right now. So if it’s 7 pm here, it’s 11 pm in space. If it’s 8 pm here, it’s midnight in space, and the next day. Which is why I always start my forecast with “Welcome to the New Universal Day.” It’s also the time that our beloved satellite DISCOVR used to roll over, but, DISCOVR is now dead. The data for DISCOVR real time solar wind is now coming off ACE/EPAM. DISCOVR is now out there, somewhere, relegated to the category of space junk. Which makes me a little bit sad. Because I started out doing this long before there was a DISCOVR or any way to even know what was happening. So I kind of grew up with DISCOVR.
At any rate! I will keep you posted as always. It’s way too cloudy in most places, but, the geo-effective hole we saw in the sun a few days ago is in fact kicking it out, just, as Dr. John says, in the right place at the wrong time. In which case- Happy Last Hurrah of Summer all, let’s see what this next cycle brings us.