Did you see the Northern Lights this week? The new year arrived not only with fireworks, but with displays of aurora across the world at much more southerly latitudes than is normal.
Aurora were spotted as far south as Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Wales in the U.K and France, with spectacular displays in Alaska, Scandinavia and New Zealand, according to SpaceWeather.com.
The display aurora came in the wake of forecasts for northern and Midwest U.S. states after a flurry of solar flares from the sun’s surface in the last few days of 2024, most notably an X-class event on Dec. 29 that hurled two clouds of charged particles in Earth’s direction.
The charged particles struck first on Dec. 31, just minutes before New Year, with geomagnetic storms sparking aurora throughout the night and again on Jan. 1 and Jan. 2.
It could be a precursor to more aurora this coming weekend and into the following week after another string of X-class were detected exploding from the sun. With the sun now at “solar maximum” — as active as it gets in its 11-year cycle — 2025 could see a significant number of global auroral events.
The term aurora borealis — Latin for “northern dawn” — was coined by Galileo Galilei in 1616, observing the phenomenon from Italy, where it shimmered low in the northern sky where it was easy to mistake for an early sunrise.
Aurora results when the solar wind — a relentless stream of charged particles from the sun — collides with Earth’s magnetic field. During periods of heightened solar activity, such as coronal mass ejections, this solar wind is supercharged, creating conditions ripe for auroras.
A CME’s journey to Earth takes about two to three days, but when it arrives, it can temporarily expand the auroral oval, pushing these displays far beyond their usual polar realms, sometimes to latitudes as low as 25 degrees.
Forecasting auroras, while not an exact science, relies on real-time data from satellites like NOAA’s DSCOVR and ACE, which orbit Earth about a million miles out. These two satellites measure the speed and magnetic strength of the solar wind, offering a vital 15-30 minute warning of an approaching CME.
History shows us the awe-inspiring potential of geomagnetic storms. The “Carrington Event” of 1859, named after astronomer Richard Carrington, unleashed the largest solar flare ever recorded — an extraordinary X45-class explosion. The resulting geomagnetic storm caused minor disruptions to telegraph systems, and auroras were seen at the equator.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
