Aurora Watch

DOCARCH

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123981884#Comment_123981884

Cool! 👍️

John.Icy

I suppose you can't complain since we got a show last night, but NOAAs latest update has the big CME estimated for around 5pm our time…Actual perfection for a big show given the auroral oval would have been at our max around 6-8pm.

BUT. An absolute sea of cloud to come for much of the next day for the majority of the island. Clearance in the south not till maybe the early hours of tomorrow.

With how disturbed things remain at present, tonight's going G5, you heard it here.

firemansam4

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123981662#Comment_123981662

Yea looks to be about the worst county in Ireland for cloud last night. I went down to Bundoran and got somewhat clear skies for a while.

nuttyboy79

Compared to the display we got in May this was so much better. I was going to bed around 3 and checked in here seen people were seeing Aurora so went out the back 😲😲.

The pictures while you can see the depth of colour in them don't do justice to what the eye could see when mine adjusted and I could start seeing them with the naked eye the display stretched across the whole northern sky. As a 50+ year old sky watcher I'd never seen Aurora before May and now I've seen them twice.

CruelSummer

Up during the night with a sick child, noticed the sky was very bright and pulled back the blinds, took a quick picture, approx 2:30am.

John.Icy

Satellite not looking as bad as some models predicted cloud wise for some of the south west. Already some clearing skies moving inland down there. Didn't look possible till much later tonight on some charts.

Still awaiting the CME however. EPAM looks like its starting to rise so we could be getting close.

.Donegal.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123982502#Comment_123982502

Yes tonight looks a write off up here as well. Oh well. Hopefully better further south.

.Donegal.

Cannibal storm sounds a bit much. Anyway it looks like it could be a big display.

NASA has postponed a space launch due to a "cannibal" solar storm that could also disrupt GPS, communication systems and power grids.

The British Geological Survey (BGS) upgraded its forecast to the maximum and said the ongoing storm had already interfered with communications and satellite navigation.

It said the storm could feed off another one, becoming a "cannibal storm" - one of the biggest in 20 years - and reaching Britain this afternoon.

https://news.sky.com/story/powerful-cannibal-storm-to-hit-earth-today-and-it-could-disrupt-communications-and-gps-13469128

dacogawa

A couple of pictures from Sandymount Strand last night, as the aurora did a great job of overcoming the light pollution.

John.Icy

Looks like we have impact. Bz north for now. Now those with any breaks in the clouds later begin the waiting game.

John.Icy

Still north, not great for us yet. Hefty enough impact, nearly 1000 km/s at one stage.

Cool to see these to webcams in Iceland, the real time dancing and shimmering of the aurora is a treat.

https://landhotel.is/index.php/northernlights-live

John.Icy

Honestly, this 'big one' looks like a bit of a dud (famous last words). Hard to sift through hopium online vs. realistic prospects.

Could be some sub storming at some stage but the initial impact didn't do much.

Feel like this has happened before. Big CME arriving to an already disturbed magnetosphere and instead of the widely predicted augmenting of the storming, the opposite happens and the latest CME is much more muted than predicted, and it especially seems to impact the Bz which frustratingly is staying steady North. Solar wind really strong, Bt strong, good density(though bouncing around). But all quiet really.

Still time, and clearing very nicely from the south it seems?

Tzmaster90

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123983942#Comment_123983942

we might get a brief clear skys in meath too

Calibos

Clear over Bray as of 2:45am and NOAA Aurora forcaste saying G3 levels but went out the bank yard at 2:45am already dark adapted from bed and while the moon, stars and Jupiter looked lovely, didn't see any trace of Aurora. I've I'm still awake in an hour I'll pop my head back outside. After that its sleep no matter what the aurora forcast is by then.

firemansam4

Tullan Strand, Bundoran, Co. Donegal.

taken between 1:00 - 2:30 on 12/11/25

With Donegal pretty much covered in cloud in most places I decided to head south this time in hopes of clear skies, lucky enough I found some for a while in Bundoran.

A meteor/ fireball even decided to photobomb one of my shots.

John.Icy

Amazing capture. I saw two brilliant ones that night too. One had that neon blue glow they sometimes take up.

firemansam4

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123986374#Comment_123986374

Yea I seen 2 or 3 that night, that one in the picture looked pretty spectacular to see, it doesn't look as big in the picture, maybe because of the wide angle lens.

It was good enough to plant itself bang in the middle of the shot though.

sryanbruen

Aurora Borealis over Ireland's Eye tonight from Howth.

cot-mad

Not a great shot compared to some others gorgeous photos, and taken with my iPhone. I’m in Lapland right now and it was lovely.

John.Icy

Nice X flare today.

New moon too, so perfect timing.

Initial forecast model I'm seeing has estimated impact somewhere around midnight tomorrow, so good enough for us.

Skies tomorrow night look pretty clear.

One to watch for more CME predictions to roll out. Anything slower by a few hours of that first model I saw probably means bad luck to us.

joujoujou

Spaceweatherlive.com estimates that X1.95 flare may possibly give us G3, or even G4 storm.

https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/en/news/view/599/20260118-x1-9-solar-flare-with-earth-directed-cme.html

cnocbui

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124160647#Comment_124160647

https://zoom.earth/places/europe/

Great news if you live under that nice hole over Germany, but clear skies over Ireland don't look remotely likely. I would absolutely love to be proven wrong.

John.Icy

There is a good clearance from the south happening now.

But not due to last into the night and won't be an entire island affair looking at cloud prediction charts.

Forecast yesterday was a clear night tonight. Now it's clear early but cloud and rain spreading back in from south/west overnight.

All depends on impact time (if tonight) and who/where has the clear slot.

sryanbruen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124162542#Comment_124162542

Protons have risen rapidly on EPAM in the past hour, usually a sign of impending impact but not a 100% reliable indicator. Still, it might be a sign that it will impact much sooner than expected.

sryanbruen

Somewhat related, the biggest solar radiation storm since 2003 is ongoing (you know, the famous Halloween 2003 solar storms). Has reached S4.

John.Icy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124162667#Comment_124162667

An early arrival would be a great sign for a doozy of a show.

Frustrating for those on the east coast though. We need a few more hours for clearance as the precip. / cloud is pushing from south to north for now. Need it to get a move on!

John.Icy

CME impact has happened.

Folks, this could be a great one. That's rapid and several hours ahead of predictions.

Good clear slot over a chunk of the country.

tom1ie

Are we going to get a clear night in the south Dublin area for this?

John.Icy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124162828#Comment_124162828

We need more time for Dublin! Clearing will come but when….the last of the rain and clouds is passing south to north.

Rikand

Had perfect clear skies north of Athlone 30 minutes ago and now we have thick fog. Can't even see 10 feet in front of me