Northern Lights Over the next few days, they will appear again, bathing the skies along the U.S.-Canada border in beautiful colors. Here’s how to see the stunning natural light show of the Northern Lights.
Video shows return of giant sunspots that produced Northern Lights
According to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), Northern Lights may be visible in northern U.S. states From October 4ththis phenomenon is expected to continue until October 6.
This weekend’s auroras are due to Strong G3 geomagnetic storm Estimated arrival on Earth in the next three daysSWPC has issued a geomagnetic storm watch through Sunday. Fortunately, these storms should be more dazzling than destructive. While geomagnetic storms can cause problems such as power outages and radio interference, SWPC predicts that “limited, minor impacts to certain technical infrastructure” that may occur during these specific storms will be “primarily mitigable.” Therefore, you can enjoy the Northern Lights without any worries.
How to get the best viewing angle of the Northern Lights
Image source: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center
While you can’t control the weather or clouds that obscure the Northern Lights, there are things you can do to ensure the best view.
First, you should check if you are looking up at the right time. Looking for the Northern Lights before sunset will set you up for disappointment as they are not clearly visible during the day. Instead, you should try it at night, as dark skies provide a contrasting backdrop for the Northern Lights. According to SWPC, the best time to see the Northern Lights is between 10 pm and 2 am
Mix and match speed of light
You should also try to view the aurora in a location with as little light pollution as possible. If you’re willing to travel, certified Dark Sky Lands near the U.S.-Canada border should provide you with excellent visibility. These locations have been independently reviewed and deemed to have minimal light pollution and offer the best views of the night sky.
Even if you can’t make it to one of these areas, you should still get out and check it out. When conditions are right, aurora can be seen from up to 600 miles away.
What causes aurora?
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While auroras can also be caused by solar flares, we have coronal mass ejections to thank for this special display. As the name suggests, a coronal mass ejection is when the sun ejects large amounts of plasma and magnetic fields from the corona (the outermost layer of the atmosphere).
The resulting solar wind then travels toward Earth, although it may take some time to arrive. Even the fastest coronal mass ejections take a day to get here, while the radiation from a solar flare only takes eight minutes to arrive.
Upon arrival, much of the solar wind is deflected away from Earth by Earth’s magnetic field. However, not all particles are sent back into space, but some electrically charged ion particles enter the field. These particles reach the Earth’s pole regions, where the magnetic field is weakest, and once there they collide with oxygen and nitrogen atoms.
This chemical reaction produces the colored lights that make up the aurora. If it’s in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s called the Aurora Borealis, and if it’s in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s called the Aurora Australis.
