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Aurora Watch: Northern Lights Could Reach New York Tonight
By @sharedot · · 6 pages
- Science
- Space
- Aurora
- Space Weather
NOAA's Geomagnetic Storm Watch means auroras could dip as far south as New York, Wisconsin and Washington state Thursday night into Friday.
What happened: a solar eruption is arriving at Earth
On Tuesday, a coronal mass ejection — a massive burst of charged particles embedded in a magnetic field — left the sun bound for Earth, associated with a moderate solar flare. In response, NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center issued a moderate Geomagnetic Storm Watch beginning Thursday evening into Friday, Oct. 9. According to NOAA, a geomagnetic storm is "a major disturbance of Earth's magnetosphere that occurs when there is a very efficient exchange of energy from the solar wind into the space environment surrounding Earth."
Why it matters: lights far south of the usual zone
The most interesting part of this event is how far south the aurora could reach. "Aurora may be seen as low as New York to Wisconsin to Washington state," the SWPC said in its alert — places that do not normally experience the northern lights. Aurora borealis appears when electrically charged particles from the sun strike Earth's atmosphere, and when geomagnetic activity grows stronger, the aurora can sometimes be seen farther south than usual, putting millions of mid-latitude residents in potential viewing range.
How strong could the storm get?
According to ABC News, NOAA says much of the activity will be minor, though there could be periods of moderate storm activity, while the UK Met Office says there is even a slight chance of strong G3 levels. Rural Radio Network, carrying the same report, adds that the SWPC expects only minor impacts to technological infrastructure, calling them "mainly manageable." A second CME linked to a smaller flare is also headed toward Earth, expected to deliver only a "glancing blow" over the weekend, per the UK Met Office.
What comes next: unsettled skies for days
All this solar weather will keep conditions unsettled to active over the next few days, with the second, weaker CME arriving over the weekend and offering a renewed aurora chance even after Thursday night's main event. Whether viewers actually see anything depends on exactly when the CME arrives, the cloud cover, and the magnetic orientation of the CME's field — the key variables that turn a forecast aurora into a visible one. Sky watchers from Washington state to Wisconsin should watch the SWPC's updated alerts.