About this episode
Richard C. Hoagland provides live eyewitness reporting of a spectacular aurora display visible far south of normal latitudes following a massive coronal mass ejection. Broadcasting from 8,000 feet in the Manzano Mountains of New Mexico, Hoagland describes unprecedented auroral streamers extending past zenith to the south, with brilliant red and blue-green colors visible at 35 degrees north latitude. Art observes the same phenomenon from Nevada, noting movement patterns differ between locations. The mega sunspot complex sits precisely at the hyperdimensional 19.5 degree latitude on the solar surface. Hoagland urges everyone to witness this once-in-a-lifetime event as particles from the enormous solar storm ring Earth's magnetic field like a bell, cascading into the atmosphere and creating cathode-ray-tube effects overhead. The display appears bright enough to see colors despite limited night vision, with pale red streamers to the west and spiky blue-green shafts to the north. The episode captures the excitement of a rare celestial phenomenon as listeners across North America rush outside to witness nature's spectacular light show.