Solar storms can light up the night sky

A severe solar storm is forming.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center on Friday issued a rare warning after a solar flare reached Earth.

Officials said solar activity could cause power outages or interfere with navigation and communications systems.

It also says He was born in the Northcaused by material the sun ejects from its surface, can be seen as far south as Alabama or Northern California, and parts of northern England.

The lights – also known as auroras – often look like an arc of blue light.

According to authorities, solar storms will be most active starting Friday and are possible over the next few days.

Here’s how it happens.

When nuclear reactions occur on the sun, it regularly ejects matter from its surface. This type of space weather is what causes the aurora borealis – also known as the northern and southern lights (depending on your hemisphere).

Here’s where the disruption could happen: As solar activity increases, emissions sent through the solar system could affect satellites orbiting near Earth as well as infrastructure on the ground, leading to disruptions in navigation systems, radio communications and even power. net.

When does this happen?

Officials said material expelled from the sun could reach Earth’s atmosphere by Friday afternoon or evening. The latest eruptions were first observed on Wednesday, with at least five erupting towards Earth.

“What we expect in the next few days will be more important than what we expected,” Mike Bettwy, director of operations at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, said in a press conference on Friday. see, certainly up to now”.

What is flaring up?

We are currently experiencing a category 4 (severe) solar storm.

According to NOAA, there have been only three storms at that level since 2019. Their announcements are even rarer: they have not issued such a warning since 2005.

By the way, this is not the highest level solar storm. There are also level 5, extreme.

The current storm is caused by a cluster of sunspots – dark, cool areas on the sun’s surface. This cluster flares up and ejects material every 6 to 12 hours.

“We predict that we will have one shock after another throughout the weekend,” said Brent Gordon, chief of the space weather services branch at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center. .

It sounds alarming but don’t worry.

The warning is not really aimed at members of the public, so please continue with your day as normal. (Except maybe look up at the night sky a little longer.)

“For most people on planet Earth, they won’t have to do anything,” said Rob Steenburgh, a space scientist at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center. “If everything works normally then the grid will be stable and they will be able to continue their daily lives.”

Here’s where to look.

If you’re in a place with a lot of bright light — like a city — you’ll have a hard time seeing anything.

And then there are other complicating factors, like the weather. The Northeast will likely be covered in clouds Friday night.

In the Midwest, skies may clear after a storm moves through.

Given the intensity of the solar storm activity, the lights could be seen as far south as northern Alabama and Georgia, where the night sky is expected to be relatively clear.

However, the southern Plains and Rockies can have relatively poor viewing conditions. On the West Coast, conditions will be relatively cloudless, which should give you good visibility.

Some lights can also be seen outside the United States.

According to the country’s Met Space Weather Operations Centre, the lights will most likely be seen in northern parts of England.

“With plenty of clear skies forecast, you’ll likely see the Northern Lights across the northern half of the UK,” the agency said on social media.

According to the Met Office, nights are very short at this time of year – sunset in Scotland today is at 9.14pm and sunrise is 5.12am – so viewing times may be limited, according to the Met Office. Met Office.

And finally, a tip: If you’re in a clear area, even south of where the aurora is forecast, take a photo or video with your cell phone.

The sensor on the camera is more sensitive to the wavelengths produced by the aurora and can produce images that you cannot see with the naked eye.

Katrina Miller And Judson Jones Report contributions.