Geomagnetic Storm Lights Up Northern Skies with Stunning Auroras

NEW YORK – A strong geomagnetic storm struck Earth early Friday morning, creating a breathtaking display of the Northern Lights visible across the northern U.S. The event is expected to continue influencing the evening sky through Tuesday night.

Time-lapse satellite imagery captured the stunning aurora australis, also known as the Southern Lights, dancing over the Southern Ocean between Antarctica and Australia early Tuesday morning. The Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere shared four hours of footage showcasing the vibrant lights.

This occurrence comes after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) issued a warning for Tuesday, indicating the arrival of influences from a coronal hole high-speed stream (CH HSS).

A coronal hole is a region on the sun’s surface that has cooler plasma, appearing as a dark area in satellite images. This cooler, less dense plasma can escape into space at faster speeds along the sun’s magnetic field lines, leading to interactions with Earth’s atmosphere. When charged particles released by the sun hit oxygen and nitrogen molecules in Earth’s atmosphere, they energize the molecules, producing the ethereal glow known as auroras.

The SWPC noted that as these CH HSS influences reach Earth, the potential for G1 (minor) and G2 (moderate) storm conditions will increase this week. On Tuesday night, peak aurora visibility is expected, with the Northern Lights potentially observable from regions including the Midwest to the Northeast.

The SWPC forecasts a significant K-index of 5.67 out of 9 on Tuesday, indicating moderate geomagnetic storming conditions. This geomagnetic storm occurs shortly after an uptick in solar activity considered one of the prime times to view auroras due to enhanced solar interactions with Earth’s atmosphere.

Last week’s conditions saw the Northern Lights shimmering over regions in upstate New York and the northern Puget Sound area, even reaching the visibility threshold in Seattle. Many residents reported glimpses of the auroras during a brief display, complemented by a fireball meteor streaking across the sky towards dawn.

Clear skies are necessary to observe this celestial phenomenon. The FOX Forecast Center’s cloud cover models suggest favorable viewing opportunities across much of the country on Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning.

Historically, locations with thick cloud cover may struggle to catch sight of the Northern Lights during significant geomagnetic storms. However, extraordinary solar storm events have resulted in sightings even under less-than-ideal conditions.

Continued influences from the coronal hole may extend into Wednesday, according to SWPC forecasts. As the Sun rotates every 27 days, further geomagnetic impacts may occur if Earth is again positioned within the high-speed solar stream.