Category: Universe

Categories
Stargazing Universe

SpaceX Starlink Satellites “Train”

The SpaceX Starlink Satellite train in the Night Sky
The SpaceX Starlink Satellite train in the Night Sky

Have you recently seen strange lights in the Night Sky? More exactly, a trail of small lights following each other in a straight line and crossing the sky from horizon to horizon?

Don’t worry, they’re not aliens 🙂 They’re the recently launched SpaceX satellites, known as the Starlink Group (NORAD 72000), which will be used in the future to provide a worldwide satellite Internet access!

If you have a clear sky the following few nights, just try and see if you can spot the “satellite train”! It’s an amazing and outworldly sight, and the best part is that you don’t need any equipment to see it! It is perfectly visible to the naked eye!

Tip: this site calculates the exact time when the Starlink group will be visible at your exact location!

Have you already seen it?

Categories
Nature Northern Lights Universe Vadsø

Experiencing the Northern Lights in Summer

Listen to the Northern Lights with Aurora Labs
Listen to the Northern Lights with Aurora Labs

The 2019-2020 Winter season is coming to an end, as the Midnight Sun progressively makes its presence felt at high Arctic latitudes. That means that sunlight starts to illuminate these regions round the clock and makes the sighting of the Northern Lights difficult or even impossible.

To see the Northern Lights, you need a completely dark sky. During the Polar Day – which is now starting – the Sun shines 24 hours a day, which makes viewing the Northern Lights impossible. However, the Northern Lights are still there – it’s just that you can’t see them!

…But you can hear them! If you do visit Vadsø with me during the summertime, when the Sun is up in the sky even at midnight, you can try hearing the Aurora with me! Check out my original summer activity: Hear the Aurora!

Just come and try, and see for yourself how cool it is to listen to the Northern Lights! And the bonus – there are many other sounds of our Universe which you will hear as well, and we’ll try explaining them together!

Categories
Northern Lights Space weather Universe

Solar Minimums

The 11-Years Long Solar Cycle
The 11-Years Long Solar Cycle

This year is a solar minimum. What does that mean? Can we see the Northern Lights during a year of solar minimum, such as 2020?

Scientists have been monitoring our Sun’s activity since hundreds of years and have observed that it varies periodically. More exactly, the number of the visible sunspots on our star’s surface, increases then decreases periodically, during a period of 11 years. When this number is on the low side – that’s a solar minimum, and we are currently there in 2020. The next solar maximum is expected towards 2025-2026.

Sunspots are associated to high solar activity (solar flares, coronal mass ejections) – which is necessary for Auroras to form here on Earth. But solar activity can also be due to other phenomena, such as coronal holes, which can occur even at solar minimums, and do not depend on the number of sunspots!

So, to answer the last question is the introductory paragraph – “yes”, the Aurora can be seen during years of solar minimums, too! And very well even, as coronal holes can lead to powerful geomagnetic storms!

In addition, places located on the Kp=0 Auroral Oval, such as Vadsø, need a considerably little activity in order to display beautiful Auroras. So, here in our region, the Northern Lights are seen in amazing displays, even in solar minimum years.