Magnetic activity 2012 March 9

From Early today (Friday) magnetic activity picked up. The plot from my magnetometer shows activity from about 3am (UT) probably due to the solar wind becoming south and allowing high energy particles enter our magnetosphere. Just like magnets here on earth, for the Sun's magnetic field (Interplanetary magnetic field) to connect to ours the polarities must be opposite. Earth's magnetic field that faces the Sun  has a north polarity. Should this continue we may have northern lights later.

Dave Gradwell