Spaceweather.com Time Machine - February 3, 2020

CO-ROTATING INTERACTION REGION: What made the auroras of Feb. 2nd so good? It was a co-rotating interaction region (CIR). CIRs are transition zones between slow- and fast-moving streams of solar wind. Solar wind plasma piles up in these regions, creating density gradients and shock waves that can rock Earth’s magnetic field much like a CME. A CIR hit Earth on Feb. 2nd and … see above. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.

MIND-BENDING AURORAS: Usually, when aurora tour guide Marianne Bergli sees mind-bending auroras over Tromsø, Norway, she is surrounded by clients. Last night, she was all alone. “The lights were incredible–just fantastic,” she says. “And I enjoyed the display all by myself.”