Powerful aurora forecast, along with rain clouds: Two solar events that occurred Tuesday and Wednesday, should bring especially high levels of aurora activity beginning Thursday and lasting through the weekend, according to an aurora forecast from the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. "The effects of a solar event on the 9th of September facing roughly toward Earth should reach Earth around midnight on September 11th UT," the report said. "Another, larger event occurred on September 10th that should have higher velocity. The effects from the latter event may reach Earth at the same time." The institute's aurora forecast for Thursday is a 4, or "Active," which means the aurora are likely to be visible overhead across much of the state, as far south as Juneau, and visible low in the horizon as far south as Vancouver. For Friday and Saturday nights, the level is even higher, a 5, or "High," forecast, visible overhead in nearly all of Alaska except the state's southwest corner and Aleutian Islands. The lights would be visible low in the horizon far to the south including such cities as Seattle, Chicago, and Boston. Unfortunately, rain and clouds are forecast across much of the state, including Southcentral and Southeast Alaska. Interior Alaska is forecast to enjoy clear skies for Thursday night, before clouds -- remnants of a tropical storm which continue to prompt high water warnings in Southcentral Alaska -- move in there as well.
Sexual assault and Alaska: The Atlantic takes on the issue of rape and rape culture in a lengthy narrative piece published Thursday. The piece includes accounts from victims in rural villages off the road system, as well as workers tasked with helping them and police whose job it is to investigate such crimes. The piece is wide-ranging. It underscores the unique circumstances that can exacerbate the problem in Alaska. There are mentions of Gov. Sean Parnell's "Choose Respect" campaign, the Alaska National Guard sexual assault scandal and efforts designed to counter the problem. But a 4-H program begun in Tanana by Cynthia Erickson in response to suicide and the help it's provided receives special attention. You can read the entire piece at The Atlantic's site.
French adventurer's Northwest Passage bid stalled in Nunavut: A French adventurer who began a quest to row the Northwest Passage in 2013 has ended his efforts for the 2014 season early after encountering heavy ice, the CBC reports. The 56-year-old Charles Hedrich began his effort in 2013 in Wales, Alaska and rowed around the state's northern perimeter, reaching Tuktoyatuk, in Canada's Northwest Territories before stopping for the winter. He launched from Tuktoyatuk in July with hopes of reaching Greenland -- his final destination -- this year. But after 56 days of rowing -- and dragging his boat in a survival suit -- Hedrich managed only to reach Taloyoak, Nunavut. "Hedrich says he is still determined to finish the trip," reports the CBC. "He plans to return to Taloyoak and resume his trip next July, hoping to row into Baffin Bay by the fall."