On May 11, 2024, the Northern Lights fill the sky with green ribbons of electrically charged particles above the barn…(+) and meadows at Greenie’s Turkey Farm in Mercer, Maine. Auroras, commonly called auroras, are charged particles that interact with gas in space. This recent display was the strongest since 2003, when G5 was evaluated on the geomagnetic scale. (Photo by Michael Seamans/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Will we be able to see the aurora tonight? A modest aurora may be visible across the northern states of the United States on Monday, October 28, after space weather forecasters predicted favorable geomagnetic storm conditions.
The possibility of aurora appearances in southern latitudes comes after a spate of solar flares, including an intense X1.8 class event on October 26, reported by NASA, and the resulting coronal mass ejections that accelerated the solar wind.
Aurora viewlines tonight, Monday, October 28, 2024, from NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center.
NOAA
When and where can you see the aurora?
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center predicts that the G1 geomagnetic storm could cause the aurora to be visible in northern U.S. states, making it possible to see the aurora in clear skies.
G1 geomagnetic storms are the weakest classification, with states in the continental United States including Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Maine within sight of the aurora borealis.
It predicts a G1 storm of magnitude Kp 4.67 to form between 00:00 and 06:00 UTC on Tuesday, October 29th (5:00 to 11:00 pm on Monday, October 28th).
According to NOAA, during a Kp 3 to 5 event, “the auroras will move further away from the poles, become brighter, and there will be more auroral activity (motion and formation).” If you’re in the right spot, this aurora will It will be a very pleasant sight. ”
Check NOAA's 30-minute forecast and X account, as well as the Aurora View Line, for the latest information.
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured these images of a solar flare on October 26, 2024 (seen as a bright flash… (+) in each of the three image panes). The image shows three different subsets of extreme ultraviolet radiation. A flared, extremely hot material colored in teal, gold, and red.
NASA/SDO
Solar activity is increasing this week
The sun is currently covered in sunspots. You can use the eclipse glasses left over from the total solar eclipse on April 8 to see the sunspots during the day.
The flares come primarily from AR3873, AR3872, and AR3869, active regions very close to each other on the Sun that are part of a large group of sunspots to the southeast of the Sun.
Because these active regions are on the side facing Earth, coronal mass ejections (clouds of charged particles thrown away from the Sun) may be directed toward Earth. CMEs take several days to travel from the sun to Earth, so we could see some dramatic aurora borealis next week.
Solar activity is currently at a 23-year high, with NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Solar Cycle 25 Prediction Panel announcing a few weeks ago that the sun has reached its “solar maximum.” This peak in the Sun’s 11-year solar cycle, a period of waxing and waning magnetic activity, is predicted to last at least next year.
I wish you clear skies and big eyes.
