Topline
Americans in parts of the Northern U.S., may get their shot at seeing the northern lights tonight—a week after promising aurora borealis predictions failed to materialize for more than a dozen states.
Key Facts
Viewers in the Northeast, northern and central Great Plains and northern Rockies may get a glimpse at the northern lights anywhere from Wednesday night into Thursday morning, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Space weather physicist Tamitha Skov said on Twitter that the natural phenomena could be expected to show in mid-latitudes starting early Thursday, citing the NOAA and noting a minor to moderate geomagnetic storm is likely.
NASA instead forecasted a G3-level storm Wednesday—the designation used to describe strong storms.
Skov said in an earlier post from Wednesday that the forecast depends on “storm magnetic orientation, speed & how directly the storm hits Earth.”
What To Watch For
Experts are predicting that a recent increase in northern lights sightings are expected to continue over the next few years thanks to a “solar maximum” that will occur in 2025.
Key Background
The northern lights, which can be typically viewed around the north and south poles, are created by bursts of electrically charged particles from the sun that later enter the Earth’s atmosphere and collide with atoms of gas. Last week, a forecast expected the lights to be viewable by a swath of states before researchers backtracked on the predictions, which said as many as 17 states would be able to see them.
Updated Northern Lights Prediction: Tonight Will Be Last Chance To See Them In These U.S. States (Forbes)
Aurora Borealis: A Complete Guide To Nature’s Light Show (Forbes)
Read the full article here
