Did you see the Northern Lights? As predicted by space weather forecasters, mid-latitude auroras were visible on Sunday, Oct. 6 and Monday, Oct. 7, across the world.
Although not as strong as May 10’s extreme G5 geomagnetic storm — the most powerful for two decades — the activity was photographed from as far south as Alabama in the U.S., according to SpaceWeather.com.
They were triggered by X-rated solar flares on Thursday, Oct. 3, that led to coronal mass ejections. Solar flares are bursts of electromagnetic radiation from the sun that travel at light speed, while CMEs are clouds of charged particles that take a couple of days to reach Earth on the solar wind. It’s the latter’s effect on Earth’s magnetic field that causes the aurora.
NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center a G3 (strong) geomagnetic storm, though with witnesses across the U.S, it was likely a G4 (intense) display.
To see the aurora so far south is unusual. They’re typically seen in polar regions at around latitudes of 70 degrees north and south, and only during periods of exceptional magnetic activity on the sun do displays reach as far as 40 degrees north and south.
The sun has been at its most active for 23 years and is about to strike its “solar maximum” — the peak of the solar cycle — which occurs roughly every 11 years.
Solar maximum was predicted to occur during 2025 during a weak cycle, but space weather experts’ new window for solar maximum is between January and October 2024. It will only be confirmed in retrospect since it’s measured by the number of sunspots — dark areas on the sun’s surface — that are counted.
Although some geomagnetic activity is possible on Tuesday, Oct. 8, it’s not forecast to be particularly strong nor visible in the U.S. No geomagnetic activity is forecast for Wednesday, Oct. 9, nor Thursday, Oct. 10, but Earth-orbiting satellites detected an X2.1 class solar flare at Oct. 7, so that could change.
Did you see the Northern Lights? As predicted by space weather forecasters, mid-latitude auroras were visible on Sunday, Oct. 6 and Monday, Oct. 7, across the world.
Although not as strong as May 10’s extreme G5 geomagnetic storm — the most powerful for two decades — the activity was photographed from as far south as Alabama in the U.S., according to SpaceWeather.com.
They were triggered by X-rated solar flares on Thursday, Oct. 3, that led to coronal mass ejections. Solar flares are bursts of electromagnetic radiation from the sun that travel at light speed, while CMEs are clouds of charged particles that take a couple of days to reach Earth on the solar wind. It’s the latter’s effect on Earth’s magnetic field that causes the aurora.
NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center a G3 (strong) geomagnetic storm, though with witnesses across the U.S, it was likely a G4 (intense) display.
To see the aurora so far south is unusual. They’re typically seen in polar regions at around latitudes of 70 degrees north and south Arctic Circle at around 65 degrees north (Alaska, northern Canada, and northern Scandinavia).
Typically only during periods of exceptional magnetic activity on the sun do displays reach as far as 40 degrees north and south.
The sun has been at its most active for 23 years and is on the cusp of “solar maximum” — the peak of the solar cycle — which occurs roughly every 11 years.
Solar maximum was predicted to occur during 2025 during a weak cycle, but space weather experts’ new window for solar maximum is between January and October 2024. It will only be confirmed in retrospect since it’s measured by the number of sunspots — dark areas on the sun’s surface — that are counted.
Although some geomagnetic activity is possible on Tuesday, Oct. 8, it’s not forecast to be particularly strong nor visible in the U.S. No geomagnetic activity is forecast for Wednesday, Oct. 9, nor Thursday, Oct. 10, but Earth-orbiting satellites detected an X2.1 class solar flare at Oct. 7, so that could change.
When charged particles from these events interact with Earth’s magnetic field, they create beautiful displays of green and red light known as the auroras.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
