All,

Got this from one of my astronomy buddies, thought it might be of interest to some on this list. Would've posted it sooner but it got lost among all the chatter about ARISSat-1:

Just announced, a huge nearly x class solar flare that was earth directed should yield some aurora possibly here in Arizona: Moving at an estimated speed of 1950 km/s, this CME is expected to sweep up two earlier CMEs already en route. Analysts at the GSFC Space Weather Lab say the combined cloud should reach Earth on August 5th at 13:55 UT plus or minus 7 hours: "The impact on Earth is likely to be major. The estimated maximum geomagnetic activity index level Kp is 7 (Kp ranges from 0 - 9). Clear Skies,

Clear Skies

Rick Tejera Saguaro Astronomy Club Phoenix, Arizona www.saguaroastro.org http://www.saguaroastro.org/ saguaroastro@cox.net K7TEJ, AMSAT 38452