A dazzling aurora borealis could be on display from Seattle to Boston on Tuesday during a geomagnetic storm watch
NASA video showing solar activity over a week
Video from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory shows activity during the week ending September 17. Space weather includes 9 M-class flares, 22 coronal mass ejections and one geomagnetic storm, NASA said.
The Sun’s active cycle continues as a geomagnetic storm may produce auroras as early as this week far from the poles from Seattle to Boston.
Noah Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) in Boulder, Colorado, issued a G2 (moderate) geomagnetic storm watch on a 5-level scale for Tuesday.
A coronal mass ejection, or CME, was observed on September 14, and the Earth-directed component of the CME will likely arrive early Tuesday, SWPC said. According to NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, the Sun produced 9 M-class flares, 22 coronal mass ejections and one geomagnetic storm in the past week.
For most people, a Geomagnetic storm Viewing is nothing to worry about. The watches help government agencies, energy providers, telecommunications companies and satellite operators prepare to protect systems affected by space weather.
Geomagnetic storms can produce stronger aurora borealis, or northern lights, which typically occur at the poles, but space weather can cause the lights to expand to the northern edge of the U.S.
The effects of this geomagnetic storm, including the northern lights, will occur late Monday night into Tuesday morning.
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An aurora forecast from the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute predicts very active auroral displays in Alaska and Canada. The aurora borealis will likely be visible on the low horizon for the northern tier of the United States, including Seattle, Great Falls, Des Moines, Minneapolis, Chicago, and Boston.
Purple aurora shines over illuminated seas along the northern Washington coast on July 18, 2022. (Photo by Matthew Nicholls)
Those with cloud-free skies will have a better chance of seeing the dancing lights. The best time to view the aurora borealis is between 10pm and 2am, according to SWPC.
Another thing that helps to see the aurora lights is the recent appearance of a new moon. With the new moon in mid-September, there is a better chance of seeing the Northern Lights. Moonlight and city lights can obscure the northern lights when they are visible in the northern United States
If weather conditions are not conducive to seeing the lights on Tuesday, there will be more chances in the coming months. the sun In the midst of an active period in Solar cycleWhich lasts 11 years.
