Thanksgiving might bring cool and rainy weather to many parts of the country, but a solar storm could offer some Americans a chance to witness the beauty of the Northern Lights.
Thanks to a filament eruption on Monday, a mild to moderate geomagnetic storm is expected on Thursday and Friday, as the sun releases a cloud of high-energy plasma towards Earth, as reported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
This eruption has the potential to illuminate the night sky in the U.S. with shades of green, red, and purple over the Thanksgiving holiday.
The brightness of the aurora and how long it will be visible depends on the strength of the solar storm and whether it reaches G1 or G2 conditions, according to NOAA meteorologist Mike Betwi.
Residents in states like Washington, Montana, Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Maine are in prime locations to witness the Northern Lights this weekend, with those in northern parts of Idaho, Wyoming, New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire also having a chance, based on NOAA’s predictions.
NOAA experts anticipate that the Northern Lights will likely be visible from Thursday evening until early Friday morning, but it’s uncertain when and where the sky will light up during the geomagnetic storm. You can monitor the latest activity and forecasts using NOAA’s Aurora Dashboard and experimental tools.
Optimal viewing conditions will be in areas with clear skies, although cloudy weather in the Northeast, much of New England, and near the Great Lakes could obstruct the view.
Unlike a previous strong solar storm earlier this year, experts do not anticipate major disruptions to communication systems in the U.S. unless the storm intensifies unexpectedly, according to Betwi.
The aurora borealis is typically visible at high altitudes, but a significant solar storm can cause it to be visible in areas much farther south than usual.
These solar storms occur when coronal mass ejections from the Sun send large plasma clouds into space, which when directed towards Earth, interact with the planet’s magnetic field and upper atmosphere, resulting in the glowing auroras.
NOAA is gearing up for the expected peak in solar activity next July, which is why the aurora has been visible further south multiple times this year.
Source: www.nbcnews.com
