Most are aware of the northern lights

Here was a photo that Space station astronaut Andre Kuipers captured from the
ISS (International Space Station) during the week of March 5, 2012, not showing
the northern, but rather souther hemisphere during a CME (Coronal Mass Ejection)
from the sun.

He says the light show erupted in the sky between Australia and Antarctica.
 
'Auroras are a spectacular sign that our planet is electrically and magnetically
connected to the Sun. These light shows are provoked by energy from the Sun and
fueled by electrically charged particles trapped in Earth's magnetic field, or
magnetosphere,' says Nasa.

'Fast-moving electrons collide with Earth's upper atmosphere, transferring
their energy to oxygen and nitrogen molecules and making them chemically
'excited'.

As the gases return to their normal state, they emit small bursts of energy in
the form of light.

Here are a couple of photographs taken from the ground (by Unknown photographers).

'The color of light reflects the type of molecules releasing it; oxygen
molecules and atoms tend to glow green, white or red, while nitrogen tends to be
blue or purple.'

What does this mean for amateur radio?  Why is it important?  Well, the CMEs that
the sun produces also affects radio waves.  Sometimes increasing skip, while other
times completely obliterating the bands with "poisonous" X-Rays and other invisible
light and energy particles - which "eats" up the radio waves.

You can get more information about "Space Weather" from www.SpaceWeather.com

73

Zack - N8ZAK