Finding would explain how the Egyptian pyramids were built

Multiple solar flares could cause magnificent auroras in many parts of the United States this weekend.

A severe geomagnetic storm is expected to hit Earth on Friday, causing colorful auroras at night, or northern lights. Residents in the United States could see moderate to strong geomagnetic activity starting at 11 pm and lasting through Saturday.

Current forecasts project that the lights could be seen as far south as Alabama and California, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center. The chances of seeing the lights will be greatest in the northern United States, Canada and northern Europe.

To maximize your chances of seeing the auroras on Friday night, look for a spot with dark skies away from city lights. Cloudless skies are also ideal. Unfortunately, considerable cloud cover will extend over the Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast, although some gaps are likely. Clear skies will most likely occur in the central states and the west coast.

Geomagnetic storms are difficult to forecast, and predicted northern lights sometimes disappoint if the timing of a storm changes or its magnetic field is not aligned with Earth’s.

“Right now this is a pretty volatile situation on the Sun that we are monitoring very closely,” said Bill Murtagh, program coordinator at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center. “We are going to have a prolonged period of geomagnetic storm.”

The geomagnetic storm occurs when the sun is at its most active in about two decades, and is expected to remain that way for at least the rest of this year.

Auroras are created when energy and particles from the sun temporarily disrupt Earth’s magnetosphere, creating a geomagnetic storm. Some solar particles travel along our planet’s magnetic field lines into the upper atmosphere, exciting nitrogen and oxygen molecules and releasing photons of light of different colors.

The geomagnetic storm predicted for Friday is the result of multiple explosions on the Sun, called coronal mass ejections. Coronal mass ejections are large clouds of solar plasma and magnetic field. Since earlier this week, the Sun has sent at least four or five of these flares toward Earth, which are expected to arrive for the first time on Friday. It is possible that some of these ejecta combine, increasing the magnitude of the storm.

“Depending on how these are staggered [ejecciones de masa coronal], the activity can be expected to last longer,” said Rob Steenburgh, a space scientist at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center. “Our expectations and the model suggest that they will somewhat catch up with each other.”

As of Thursday afternoon, NOAA forecasts predicted a severe geomagnetic storm, with a rating of 4 out of 5. If the geomagnetic storm is that strong, people in southern states could see a red glow, as has happened in recent storms of similar strength.

At times, intense geomagnetic storms can also disrupt power systems, GPS communications, or satellite operations. Steenburgh, however, does not anticipate problems with electrical systems and is working closely with grid operators across North America ahead of the storm.

The coronal mass ejections came from a particularly bustling area in the Sun’s southwestern hemisphere, called active region 3664, Steenburgh said. Active regions are easy to see because they contain dark areas called sunspots. Sunspots are temporary dark spots where the sun’s magnetic field is extremely strong and eventually passes through the sun’s surface.

“These sunspot groups emerge and we see hundreds of them a year. But very few of them reach this size and magnetic complexity,” Murtagh said. “What makes it unique here is that it is very magnetically stressed and magnetically complex.”

The same group of sunspots also released intense bursts of radiation known as solar flares. The sun unleashed three class X flares, the most intense, since Wednesday. Solar flares can disrupt radio communications, although Murtagh said NOAA officials have not received any such reports yet.

The size of the sunspot group is actually on par with that of the Carrington event of 1859, considered one of the most intense solar storms to hit Earth, but Murtagh said this incoming geomagnetic storm will not be anywhere near the same level as the Storm Carrington.

If you still have your solar eclipse glasses, you will be able to see the large dark spots in the lower right quadrant of the sun.

If you miss a good light show on Friday night, stay alert over the weekend, Murtagh and Steenburgh said. The sunspot group appears to remain active and could send more coronal mass ejections toward Earth before it moves away from our path.

“Because that region has been active and has a history of producing these, it wouldn’t be out of the question to get another chance,” Steenburgh said. “I tell people to stay vigilant over the weekend and keep an eye on things.”

Related