Individuals in some parts of the continental U.S. will be able to see the northern lights this week, due to a geomagnetic storm.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said a geomagnetic storm watch is in effect until Friday. The conditions may push the phenomenon known as the aurora borealis further south, past its usual boundary of Canada and Alaska in the Northern Hemisphere, and deeper into the Great Lakes region, the Northeast and the Pacific Northwest, NOAA said.
The NOAA, a U.S. government agency, said that the northern lights could be visible Thursday in parts of Pennsylvania, Iowa and northern Oregon. If visible, this week’s aurora borealis should look like a glow on the horizon in the continental U.S. But an overcast sky, light pollution or a bright moon can diminish visibility.
Geomagnetic storms, which create the aurora borealis, are categorised by NOAA on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 denoting a small storm and 5 denoting an extreme and widely visible storm. The northern lights are being pushed further south by a G3 level solar storm.
According to Bill Murtagh, the programme coordinator for NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, "when we get to the G3, they're powerful storm conditions, and it will produce auroras visible in the northern tier states."
Geomagnetic storms have been occurring for the past three days as a result of sun-ejecta colliding with Earth's magnetic field. Technology, including power grids, GPS systems, radio, air travel, and satellites, can be disrupted by the aurora borealis.
When a G5-level solar weather event last happened, it delayed air traffic and damaged satellites in October 2003. Florida had a clear view of the aurora borealis.
According to Mr. Murtagh, the Carrington Event, the greatest powerful geomagnetic storm in recorded history, occurred in 1859 while the northern lights were visible in Cuba.
The sun's 11-year weather cycle is getting close to solar maximum, according to NOAA, which increases the likelihood of solar storms and increases the likelihood that more people in the south will see the northern lights.
We'll see a lot more of this, and it'll be stronger than what we're witnessing at the moment, predicted Mr. Murtagh.
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