Should you missed final evening’s spectacular northern lights, worry not. There could possibly be one other likelihood to view the aurora borealis on Friday evening.
The Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) explained that the aurora borealis could grow to be seen over many northern U.S. states, and among the decrease Midwest to Oregon.
The lights are finest noticed “simply after sundown,” NOAA suggested. Should you can’t see them with the bare eye, you might be able to seize them on a phone or camera.
On Thursday evening, People as far south as Florida and as north as Maine have been handled to a uncommon, dazzling present of purple, inexperienced, and purple. Folks in in any other case brightly lit cities like New York Metropolis and Chicago posted photographs to social media of the uncommon sighting. The aurora borealis is often solely seen close to Earth’s poles, not over the contiguous U.S.
Thursday and Friday nights’ aurora borealis sightings are the results of a “sturdy” G3 geomagnetic storm (3 out of 5 on NOAA’s severity scale). A geomagnetic storm happens when a coronal mass ejection, an eruption of photo voltaic materials, reaches Earth.
This yr’s elevated photo voltaic exercise is probably going the results of an 11-year solar cycle peaking via October. Photo voltaic exercise is predicted to remain high for the subsequent yr or so.
Monitor the aurora borealis on NOAA’s map and page, the place the company is offering reside updates.