9/17: Eclipse from space

[tw]

Originally posted by CyclopONE
One of my goals in life is to be able to witness at least 2 phenomona in astronomy, a total solar eclipse and an aurora borealis. I've been planning to take a vacation somewhere in north Alaska for years. A friend of mine there says he gets the northern lights about every 4 days.

When the sun's magnetic poles swap every 11 years, then sunspot activity is so high as to create large Auroras. Had you been outside of urban environments, you would have seen some this summer that were even seen as south as San Diego. This summer was recoreded the largests sunspot expulsions to date (I think it was sunspot 9515). Details were posted in The Cellar somewhere around June. Of course history does not help your ambition - especially that now you must wait 11 years - or travel.