Sun's Magnetic Field About to Flip According to NASA

Photographer Mike Taylor watched the display from

Port Clyde, Maine: "The awe-inspiring green and purple

colors of the Northern Lights spiked up early on the 

morning of August 5th while I was shooting the Milky

Way down at Marshall Point Lighthouse in Port Clyde,"

says Taylor. "This photo was taken about 5 feet from

the base of the tower."

From spaceweather.com 

MAGNETIC FIELD REVERSAL ON THE SUN: It hasn't happened yet, but it's about to. Data from NASA-supported observatories show that the sun's global magnetic field will flip before the end of 2013. The reversal, which signals the arrival of Solar Maximum, will have ripple effects felt throughout the solar system. Get thefull story and a video from Science@NASA. Solar flare alerts: text, voice.

GEOMAGNETIC STORM: A solar wind stream hit Earth's magnetic field on August 5th, sparking a G1-class geomagnetic storm and auroras over several northern-tier US states. (Subscribers to our space weather alert system were notified that a storm was in progress.) 

The storm has subsided, but it could flare up again as the solar wind stream continues to blow around Earth. NOAA forecasters estimate a 40% chance of polar magnetic storms on August 6th. Aurora alerts: text, voice.