The Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, are visible on September 10, 2021 in … [+]
A restless sun has sent multiple blasts of highly charged plasma in the direction of Earth this week and the result could be Aurora Borealis extending further toward the equator than normal.
This means that much of Canada, Alaska and some of the northernmost lower 48 United States could see those dancing Northern Lights this evening where weather permits.
Although it’s only Tuesday, several coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from the outer layers of the sun have been observed this week. CMEs are eruptions from the solar corona that hurl electromagnetically charged material into the inner solar system. When a CME collides with Earth’s magnetosphere, it gives auroral activity a big boost.
CMEs often accompany solar flares from unstable sunspots on the sun’s surface. In recent days the sun has been flaring like crazy, including letting off an X-class flare on Sunday. X flares are the most powerful category of flares. They can disrupt radio and satellite communications and in extreme instances, even electrical equipment and the power grid on the ground.
While flares are made up of charged particles that travel at the speed of light, reaching Earth in mere minutes, CMEs travel much slower and vary in speed, typically taking a few days to get here.
Multiple CMEs from the past few days are expected to finally reach Earth today, including a “cannibal CME,” which is when a slower-moving CME is overtaken by a faster one in transit.
The two CMEs then combine into a more complex cloud of charged material that can sometimes “trigger protracted magnetic storms when they envelop the Earth,” according to NASA.
There’s a decent chance this geomagnetic storm could reach G2 (moderate intensity) today and NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center even says there’s a 15 percent chance of a strong storm. Basically, the stronger the storm the more aurora activity we get and the show is visible further to the south (or further north if you’re in the southern hemisphere).
NOAA also says there is a chance of more X-flares and CMEs this week, so tonight may not even be your best chance to glance some dancing lights in the sky. Stay tuned.
