Huge Space Storm Could Mean Rare Northern Lights Display This Weekend
SATURDAY COULD BE 'THE DAY!'
This is pretty exciting. There is a very 'STRONG' geomagnetic storm a brewin' in space on Saturday. It is ranked a 3 out of 5 on the severity scale that NOAA's Space Weather Prediciton Center puts out. What does it mean with a big storm is brewing in space?
PREDICTIONS
According to The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center, because of the size of this storm, people as far south as the state of Illinois and Oregon might even be able to see them! That's good news for us! We're looking at weekend viewing; a night when many of us early birds could actually stay up to see an amazing light show in the sky.
THERE'S A LOT GOING ON RIGHT NOW!
There's been a lot going on in space over the last week. Yesterday, the sun produced it's largest solar flare since 2017. Back in 2017, the flare triggered shortwave radio blackouts across Africa and Europe; so what will it do here? The sun's solar activity 'naturally ebbs and flows' every 11 years, so this activity is not unexpected. The sun is reaching it's strongest activity in over two decades as we speak.
CLEAR VIEW TO THE NORTH
To have the best chance at seeing this light display, will probably be late on Saturday into Sunday morning. You'll want to have a clear view to the north. As always, there is no guarantee that we will be able to enjoy the lights; but the chance to see them this time is pretty good!
WILL WE HAVE BLACKOUTS?
The intensity of the northern lights won't be known until satellites can detect them closer to earth.
Will it affect electronics? NOAA works with grid operators across the US to minimize the effects, so being prepared is all part of how things will be protected. We now have systems in place that can protect power lines pretty fast, and keep things working during the geomagnetic activity.
STORM ACTIVITY
According to an article, the sun is around approximately 90 million miles away. It's hard to accurately predict when and if the forecasted solar wind speed is calculated correctly. If it is off by just 1 to 2%, the arrival time to earth can be off by a couple hours.
BEST VIEWING TIPS
If you have lived your whole life without seeing the northern lights, it could be because you don't live in a rural area. To see the amazing display you should drive to a dark area. Sometimes people will drive out on a county road until there are NO lights along the road; and find a place to park.
Best viewing time is sometimes right after dark, around 10pm but it could also be visible in the early morning hours.