Global Courant 2023-05-11 03:14:00
The Northern Lights, also called the aurora borealis, could be visible over parts of the northern US Wednesday night, space weather forecasters said.
The lights may be seen further south than usual, and may even be visible in U.S. states such as Oregon, Nebraska, and Virginia, SpaceWeather. com reported.
The sky show is due to a geomagnetic storm now hurtling toward Earth.
According to Space. com, the geomagnetic storm is the result of a massive coronal ejection from the sun that occurred Sunday evening. Energetic particles from the eruption were expected to arrive early Wednesday morning.
The Space Weather Prediction Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Wednesday said more storm impacts from another massive eruption are expected on Thursday and Friday — so tonight may not be your only chance to see the Northern Lights this week.
Northern Lights photos: See how aurora borealis illuminate the sky in different states
The Northern Lights in Norway.
Where can the Northern Lights be seen on Wednesday?
According to the Space Weather Prediction Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrationthe Northern Lights are most likely to be seen in the northern tier of the US, such as northern Michigan and Maine, on Wednesday night.
The lights can also be seen in Alaska and parts of Canada.
NOAA reports that the Northern Lights will likely be visible tonight in parts of these “Lower 48” states: Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, and Maine.
Since late Wednesday afternoon satellite images showed skies were clear across much of the northern tier of the U.S., except for some overcast areas in western Montana, the eastern Dakotas, and much of Minnesota.
The colorful aurora is created when particles coming from the sun get caught in the Earth’s magnetic field. The particles interact with molecules of atmospheric gases to cause the aurora’s famous glowing green and reddish colors.
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Tips for viewing the Northern Lights
“Go out at night,” NOAA said. “And move away from city lights. The moon will also reduce the apparent brightness of the aurora.”
The best aurora is usually within an hour or two before midnight (between 10:00 PM and 2:00 AM local time). These hours extend into the evening and morning as the level of geomagnetic activity increases.
There may be aurora in the evening and morning, but it’s usually not as active and therefore not as visually appealing, NOAA said.
G2 geomagnetic storm is responsible
NOAA rated the geomagnetic storm as a G2 or “moderate” level event.
A G2 is the second level of NOAA’s five-level solar storm scale. (G1 storms are small and G5s are considered extreme.) The higher the level, the more likely the aurora is to appear.
Geomagnetic storms can affect Earth’s infrastructure, potentially disrupting communications, power grids, navigation, radio and satellite operations, NOAA said. Technology disruptions from a G2 storm generally remain small, but the storm could drive the aurora farther south from its usual position over the Arctic, NOAA said.
The effects of the geomagnetic storm are expected to abate by Thursday and Friday, NOAA said.
Photo Gallery: Best Places to See the Northern Lights
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Northern lights, the aurora borealis, expected in the northern US tonight
