[Sunspot Activity]

We need the green oval to go brown, frogesque.

It's just skimming the top of the UK at the mo,but still showing green.

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Yep, disapointing After a brilliant hot and sultry day I'm clouded out now. What little clear sky I could see an hour ago showed no signs of activity.

[Sunspot Activity]

Peter Tattum:

Yeah, it's a bit of stretch for me too especially if its on the N. horizon. Best bet will be between 1.00 and 2.00 am looking slighly west of north unless it's a full corona directly overhead (some hopes). You never know though and the camera is charged up ready roll!

Moon should be nice, just a sliver, and there's always Venus and Mars to have a squint at.

Edit: Wooohoo, Activity level now at 10

[Sunspot Activity]

Looks as if this has just started to kick in, Kp readings are still showing low but Bz is now about -8 deg (south) and the SEC: POES Auroral Activity is at level 9 (usually good enough for at least some aurora here) Hope it keeps up until the sky starts to get dark.

Keep an eye on the latest 'sticky' Aurora Predictions, Real Time Data topic header on this forum.

[Ants]

Hmm... flying ants and the fourth dimension?

[Aurora & Sun Activity Resources Thread]

Don't be fooled by the sunspot maximum years - a good CME (coronal mass ejection) can happen any time. SOHO data usually gives a day or so adavanced warning before it interacts with the Earth's magnetosphere.

I'm reasonably place at my location and have witnessed several good shows. This one was in January and developed into an even better show later on but I'd already maxed the camera memory. Believe me, that red 'flame' was intense. I now have a better camera and a fast lens so I'm just waiting for the long dark winter nights.

21 Jan 05 Milnathort, Kinrossshire.

[Ants]

Short of digging up the patio and rooting out the queen you are stuck with them. Note: red ants in particular can get quite defensive if their nest is invaded! The nest will be well under the slabs (as much as 2 feet down) so surface scalding will only eliminate a few workers. All you are seeing above the slabs is the their mining 'bing' or spoil heap which they build up for ventillation chimneys.

There are however chemical treatments that will coat the workers who then take the poison into the nest but if it's a bad infestation you will need to be persistent. A reputable garden centre should be able to advise although some have stopped stocking the really powerful ones.

[N Z Flatworms]

'Orrible little buggers!

Anyone got any suggestions re: getting rid of them? At the moment I'm trapping them under black polythene and bits of paving slab but I fear they are now endemic in the garden. Any chemicals that would do the trick are apparently fatal to native earthworms and other fauna - unless you know different.

It's an established old large walled garden I work in that has been a little neglected. The local eartworm population seems to be healthy and there may be a balance in the garden so I'm not panicking at this stage. I did find a toad last autumm which was carefully moved from an area I was clearing - I'm wondering if they are predators (I would like to encourage them, and frogs, anyway).

In particular I don't want to stop composting. It's the only sensible way of disposing of garden refuse especially with the volume I have to contend with but that area seems to be the worst infected. Any compost gets passed through a 10mm sieve which will effectively mangle any adults but the eggs can still get through so I bag it up then wait a few weeks before re-sieving. Nice compost but it's hard graft!

Somewhat related topic, anyone tried soil pasturising with a microwave?