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States where Aurora Borealis may be visible tonight

Vaseline October 4, 2024

Topline

A strong solar flare slightly less powerful than the one that produced May’s blinding lights is expected to produce intense northern lights sightings in several U.S. states in the coming days.

MERCER, MAINE – MAY 10, 2024: The Northern Lights streak across the sky above a horse stable … (+) Mercer, Maine on May 10, 2024. The Aurora Borealis, also called the Northern Lights, are electrically charged particles that interact with gases in space. This recent showing was the strongest since 2003 and rated a G5 on a geomagnetic scale. (Photo by Michael Seamans/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Key facts

The Sun produced a strong X7.1 solar flare on Wednesday, the third strongest solar flare yet in the Sun’s recent solar cycle; the strongest outburst was the X8.7 flare that caused the vivid Northern Lights in May.

The eruption was aimed at Earth and resulted in an aurora-causing coronal mass ejection – an eruption of solar material – that is expected to cause strong Northern Lights activity.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has announced small, moderate and strong geomagnetic storm warnings Thursday through Saturday, noting that the Northern Lights may be visible in many northern and lower Midwestern states.

Thursday night’s aurora has a moderate geomagnetic storm watch and a Kp index of six, meaning there will be more activity as the lights get brighter and “quite pleasant to watch” if weather conditions are optimal, NOAA said.

Solar activity has been unusually busy in recent months as the sun’s 11-year solar cycle – called Solar Cycle 25 – approaches its expected peak between late 2024 and early 2026, with sunspots expected to increase in the coming year and likely produce more geomagnetic storms. .

Surprising fact

The sun produced a solar flare of X9.0 on Wednesday, which defeated the May solar flare to become the strongest solar flare of solar cycle 25. Because it was aimed at Earth, even stronger Northern Lights are expected in the coming days.

Where will the Northern Lights be visible?

While it’s hard to say where the Northern Lights will appear, they may be the most visible Thursday evening in Canada and Alaska, according to NOAA (see image below). However, continental U.S. states within the aurora’s line of sight include Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine .

Aurora sightline from Thursday evening.

NOAA

What is the best way to see the Northern Lights?

The lights are usually most active between 10pm and 2am. For the best view of the Northern Lights, the agency recommends traveling as close to the poles as possible, avoiding city lights and other light pollution, monitoring the weather forecast for optimal viewing conditions and finding a position at a vantage point such as a hilltop.

What is the best way to photograph the Northern Lights?

Smartphone cameras are sensitive enough to catch the aurora even if it is invisible to the naked eye. Visit Iceland, a tourism website for Iceland, where the lights are often visible, recommends turning on night mode to best maximize the smartphone camera’s exposure.

Important background

Solar Cycle 25 – the cycle the sun goes through about every eleven years – has been the cause of geomagnetic storms that have resulted in recent sightings of the Northern Lights, and NASA predicts this will continue into next year. Cycle 25 began in December 2019 and is expected to reach its maximum – when activity is expected to peak – between late 2024 and early 2026. It is expected to peak with 115 sunspots, where geomagnetic storms form. Although the maximum has not yet been reached, the sun’s activity has been busier than scientists expected, so it is possible that there will be more geomagnetic storms in the run-up to 2026, although it is difficult to predict exactly when these storms will occur. will take place.

Big number

215.5. That’s how many daily sunspots there were during the month of August, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center. This is the highest monthly sunspot count since Solar Cycle 23 averaged 238.2 spots in 2003.