Tips for Viewing the Northern Lights Tonight – Witness the Most Powerful Display in the Last Two Decades

The Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, are expected to be the most active in decades on the night of May 10, according to intelligence agencies. announcement According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). They may be visible as far south as Alabama in the United States and Scotland in the United Kingdom. This is NOAA's first monitoring of a severe geomagnetic storm since 2005.

This green, purple, and red glow in the sky is caused when charged particles from the sun collide with Earth's atmosphere. The sun will emit several giant particle plumes called coronal mass ejections (CMEs) between May 8 and 9, which are expected to reach Earth on May 10 and 11.

When these particles reach Earth, many of them are deflected by Earth's magnetic field. But near the poles, the magnetic field weakens, so some of them manage to sneak in and enter the atmosphere, giving energy to the gas molecules they make up. When these molecules re-radiate their energy, it appears as light that we see as auroras. The color of an aurora is determined by the type of gas that collides with it and where it is located in the atmosphere. The most common color, green, comes from oxygen molecules about 120 to 180 kilometers above the Earth.

The more powerful the CME, the more particles enter the atmosphere and the brighter and larger the auroras become. His CME, which was just blown out of the sun, is more powerful than any CME that has hit Earth since January 2005. A solar storm this powerful could release powerful electrical currents that could damage satellite components and even disrupt satellites and power grids.

To see the Northern Lights, you need to be as far away from major light pollution as possible. Even incredibly powerful aurora borealis can be impossible to spot from urban areas. Once you're away from the city lights, let your eyes adjust to the darkness and look towards the northern sky.

According to NOAA, the aurora borealis could be seen in most parts of the northern half of the country by late May 10 to early May 11 in the United States, and as far south as Alabama to northern California. That's what it means.In the case of the UK, the Bureau of Meteorology Predict It will be visible in the northern half of the country towards the end of May 10th or early May 11th, but there is a chance that you will be able to catch a glimpse of it across the country.

Auroras look like bright, shimmering sheets of light in photos, but to the human eye without long exposures they tend to look like a faded green glow. For those living outside the Arctic Circle, this could be the most vivid aurora show in 19 years.