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Northern Lights in Arkansas

Yes, friends and neighbors. There were northern lights in Arkansas last night. I can’t recall this ever happening before. Here is the official explanation: “The cause of the show was a coronal mass ejection from the sun that hit Earth’s magnetosphere at about 2 p.m. ET”, SpaceWeather.com reported. “The impact caused a strong compression in [...]

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What the…!?

Yes, friends and neighbors. There were northern lights in Arkansas last night. I can’t recall this ever happening before. Here is the official explanation:

“The cause of the show was a coronal mass ejection from the sun that hit Earth’s magnetosphere at about 2 p.m. ET”, SpaceWeather.com reported. “The impact caused a strong compression in the magnetic field, allowing electrically charged particles from the solar wind to penetrate down to geosynchronous orbit (22,000 miles or 35,000 kilometers in altitude).”

Don’t ask me what that means. I’m just repeating what I read. The report went on to say:

“Solar activity is on the upswing toward an expected peak of the sun’s 11-year cycle in 2013, and the past few months have been marked by strong auroral activity.”

So, there you have it. Another nice little trip without leaving my backyard.

Filed under: Arkansas, USA

About the Author:

Gar Williams liquidated his former life, sold all his possessions that wouldn’t fit into a 46 liter backpack, and left it all behind at age 63. He is now traveling the world, and, in his words, is finally doing what he wants to do. Gar stops by at VagabondJourney.com from time to time to offer his wisdom and advice on the Senior Vagabond series. has written 65 posts on Vagabond Journey. Contact the author.

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Gar Williams is currently in: Ecuador

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  • sis October 25, 2011, 2:01 pm

    Simply beautiful

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  • Gar October 25, 2011, 2:30 pm

    Thanks for dropping by Sis. I’m hoping for another show tonight. We’ll see what happens.

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  • diane October 29, 2011, 9:08 pm

    wow, what an awesome thing to see such a rare show…and in your backyard…the reds are unreal…thanks for sharing, I showed the girls and really appreciated you having done the work and provided the answer to why it occurred…first thing the girls asked…how did it happen…lol…

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    • Gar October 29, 2011, 9:17 pm

      My pleasure. That is the first thing I wanted to know to. My mother (who is 82) told me she remembers seeing Northern Lights in Arkansas twice. Once when she was about six years old, about 1935, and then again about 1980.

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