Remember everything Have you seen photos posted on social media a few months ago of the Northern Lights appearing in all their glory in an unexpected southern location? Be prepared to see them again, or maybe for the first time. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts the Northern Lights will return to unusual locations starting this Tuesday.
The aurora is expected to be visible across the northern United States, upper Midwest, northern Britain and northern Europe over the next few days. Predict A “powerful geomagnetic storm” is about to reach Earth.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Predict In the US, the aurora, which will last from Tuesday night into the early hours of Wednesday morning, will have a Kp index of 5, on a 9-point scale that measures disturbances in the Earth’s magnetic field, with 9 being the strongest. This means the auroras will be farther south than usual and visible in northern US states from Maine to Washington.
For Europe, the UK Met Office predicts that “the likelihood of a strong geomagnetic storm (G3) will peak on Wednesday 24 July.” The Met Office said: Space Weather Forecast On July 23rd, “the Aurora Borealis may be visible over Northern Ireland, northern England and similar geomagnetic latitudes, although hindered by a near full moon and limited hours of darkness.” In the Southern Hemisphere, the Meteorological Agency predicts that “the Aurora Borealis will be visible over Tasmania and southern New Zealand.”
Space Weather Live, a Belgian nonprofit that tracks auroral and solar activity, predicts that a geomagnetic storm approaching the Northern Hemisphere will reach Kp index level 6 this week, with the storm likely to peak between Wednesday and Thursday.
This doesn’t quite match the strength of the geomagnetic storm on May 10th. All three UK geomagnetic observatories recorded the May storm. Kp Index Level 9the highest rating. The storm is expected to weaken this week, so the auroras won’t be as vivid or extend as far from the poles as they were back then. In May, the auroras extended as far as mainland Europe and the southern U.S. states.
The recent increase in solar activity has occurred as the Sun gets closer to the Earth. peak As we approach the 11-year solar maximum, predicted to occur between late 2024 and early 2026, NOAA predicts that auroras will become more frequent and appear at lower latitudes than usual.
This comes after NASA captured the largest solar flare in seven years in December. Issue a warning For minor fluctuations in the power grid and possible disruptions to radio services and spacecraft. The administration monitors sunspot regions for outbursts of solar material, or “coronal mass ejections,” that could be directed toward Earth and cause these colorful light shows at high latitudes. In this case, an outburst of solar material that occurred on Sunday could be the reason why the Northern Lights can be seen from Tuesday to Thursday.
If you want to maximise your chances of seeing the Northern Lights wherever you are this week, make sure you go somewhere with as little light pollution as possible and check the weather to make sure there are no clouds – a dark, clear sky is best – and try taking photos with your phone camera, which often produces better images than what you can see with the naked eye.
