Holy Smokes Batman, the Sky's On Fire!
- astromarka
- Nov 12
- 4 min read
They’re Here, and More Are Coming! A Geomagnetic Storm and Northern Lights.
Currently, NOAA's (National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration) Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) is monitoring a third coronal mass ejections (CMEs) within 24-hours coming our way from the Sun. There were two CMEs yesterday which product the tremendous Aurora Borealis last night, well into the wee hours.
What is a Coronal Mass Ejection?
It is an explosion of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun's third atmosphere, the corona. The result is a twisting and realignment of the Sun's magnetic field, which is called magnetic reconnection. When these magnetic field lines "tangle" they produce strong localized magnetic fields which can break through the surface of the Sun generating CMEs. These CMEs cause geomagnetic storms when they're directed at Earth. NOAA has high confidence that the third CME is heading our way. Here’s a link to a video from the European Space Agency (EESA) of the CME on November 11th.
What is a Geomagnetic Storm?
Geomagnetic storms are the result of CMEs. And if a geomagnetic storm is directed at Earth, it impacts us in two significant ways. First, it will produce more vivid Aurora Borealis that extend much further south towards the Equator. Second, the potential for electrical infrastructure disruptions, including the electric power grid, communications, navigation, radio, and satellite operations increase significantly. One unique feature of this storm is that one of the sunspots near the release of the plasma and energy is as big as the sunspot that caused the infamous Carrington event of 1859.
These bursts of electromagnetic radiation can travel at varying speeds; some reaching the Earth in about 8-minutes and others, in 15 to 18 hours, and still others taking several days. NOAA states their satellites, which are monitoring solar winds, are better at predicting the arrival of a geomagnetic storm when the burst is roughly one million miles from Earth. Never considered this before.
What Causes Northern Light?
Our Sun is continuously emitting a stream of charged particles to space, and towards Earth. When CMEs occur the steam of electrons and protons intensifies tremendously. Fortunate for us, our atmosphere’s magnetosphere deflects many of the hard chargers away from Earth. However, when they hit the polar regions of our planet, the North Pole and South Pole’s magnetic field lines funnel a portion of those particles towards our upper atmosphere.
Traveling down the magnetic lines these highly energized particles collide with nitrogen and oxygen molecules and other atoms anywhere from 60 to 300 miles above us standing on terra firma. These collisions transfer energy and excite atmospheric gases. They get quite agitated. When their agitation passes, the gases emit photons (light) and the color of the photons is determined by the type of gas involved and the altitude at which the collisions happen. (I did not know this either.)
Here’s a tidbit for you. When it comes to collision altitude, a gas, and a color, here is how they all come together:
Green (oxygen) collision take place at ~60-150 miles up
Red (oxygen) collision take place at ~150 miles up
Blue or purple (nitrogen) at any altitude
What's The Chance of Seeing an Aurora Tonight?
Looking at the map above you'll see the regions and the intensity of tonight’s aurora around the globe. The time of the image is 10pm local time and Denver is shown as a yellow dot below the aurora’s southern limit. While the map doesn't reflect it, NOAA suggests that tonight’s aurora should be visible over much of the northern half of the country, and potentially as far south as Florida, all of California, and most of the eastern seaboard. That's the good news, but how about the bad? Since the aurora's oval doesn’t extend evenly across North America, those lucky stiffs in the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest and Northeast will have the grandest of shows.
How to Observe an Aurora
All things considered, Astro Mark's Pro trip is: Get out and look up for the northern lights tonight. The aurora should be visible most of the night, with after 10pm being the optimal time. So, the later the better, and check the weather forecast. Cloud cover and moisture in the air is an aurora buzzkill. Again, your chance of seeing the magnetic "rain" storm increases the darker the night sky you are under. Don't be deterred by cloud cover as they come and go. My suggestion for you is to wait at least 90-minutes after sunset before stepping outside to begin your quest for the northern lights.
If you use an iPhone, here’s a video with some suggestions on how to maximize the phone’s nighttime features.
It's time to gather friends and family together. Dress warm, grab a chair, and look to the north. Have some fun and enjoy the show of colorful draping curtains, arcs, and rippling waves.
Happy Aurora Borealis To You!
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