Science
Powerful Geomagnetic Storm Could Spark Northern Lights Across U.S. Tonight
Due to the ongoing disruption of Earth’s magnetic field caused by geomagnetic storm conditions, northern lights may be visible deep into mid-latitudes tonight once more.
Aurora chasers, there may be a chance for a second round tonight!
Keep your eyes on the skies and your aurora alerts turned on if you missed last night’s intense G4 geomagnetic storm or simply can’t get enough of the northern lights. Geomagnetic storm conditions are predicted to persist.
As Earth’s magnetic field reverberates after the coronal mass ejection (CME) hit in the early hours of June 1, NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Centre predicts that active geomagnetic storm conditions might last into early June 2. High-speed solar wind from coronal holes is also buffeting it, and late on June 2, another CME might hit.
On June 1, a powerful solar storm hit Earth at a speed of about 1,938 km/s, or 4.3 million miles per hour. We might be affected for another 24 hours because it’s complicated and consists of information from several CMEs.
“We just entered what looks to be the “core” of the first structure,” space weather physicist Tamitha Skov told Space.com. “Considering this storm is comprised of material from multiple CMEs all compressed into one composite structure, there is a chance we will see more than one “core” signature. So, there is a chance this could still give us a waning show 24 hours from now.”
And that’s not all! Around June 2 or 3, a second, smaller CME is approaching Earth and may cause geomagnetic activity to increase once more.
“This storm is expected to arrive late on June 2, so we could see storming through June 3 UTC time,” Skov told Space.com. “That being said, expect the aurora chances to be weaker than they are now. Likely, we will only be at a G1-G2 level storm by midday June 3.”
How do CMEs cause geomagnetic storms and auroras?
Ions are electrically charged atoms that are carried by CMEs. These ions have the potential to cause geomagnetic storms, which are significant disruptions in the Earth’s magnetosphere, when they clash with it. Light is released as a result of interactions between the ions and gases in the Earth’s atmosphere during such storms. In the Northern Hemisphere, this light is known as the aurora borealis, while in the Southern Hemisphere, it is known as the aurora australis. A G-scale, which goes from G1 for mild storms to G5, the most extreme, is used to classify geomagnetic storms based on their severity.
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