A severe solar storm is occurring.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center issued an unusual warning Friday after a solar explosion reached Earth.
Officials said solar activity could cause power outages and disrupt navigation and communication systems.
The aurora is caused by material emitted from the sun's surface and could be visible in areas as far south as Alabama, northern California and northern England.
Also known as the aurora borealis, this light usually looks like an arc of green light.
Officials say solar flares will be at their most active starting Friday and are likely to continue over the next few days.
The situation is as follows.
When nuclear reactions occur in the sun, the sun periodically ejects material from its surface. This type of space weather is what produces the aurora borealis, also known as the aurora borealis or southern lights (depending on the hemisphere).
There can be some confusion here. As the sun becomes more active, emissions sent through the solar system can affect satellites orbiting close to Earth and infrastructure on the ground, leading to disruptions to navigation systems, radio communications, and even power. . grid.
When is this happening?
The material ejected from the sun could reach Earth's atmosphere by Friday afternoon or evening, officials said. The most recent eruptions were first observed on Wednesday, with at least five heading in Earth's direction.
“What we're expecting over the next few days is certainly going to be more significant than what we've seen to date,” Mike Betwee, director of operations for NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, said Friday. said at a press conference.
What's flaring up?
A level 4 (severe) solar storm is currently occurring.
Storms of this magnitude have occurred only three times since 2019, according to NOAA. The announcement is even rarer, as the company hasn't issued such a warning since 2005.
By the way, this is not the highest level solar storm. There is also a level 5 extreme.
Current storms are caused by collections of sunspots, dark, cold regions on the sun's surface. The cluster flares up and releases material every 6 to 12 hours.
“We expect a series of shocks over the weekend,” said Brent Gordon, director of Space Weather Services at NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center.
That sounds alarming, but don't worry.
This warning is not intended for the general public, so please go about your daily life as normal. (Why not look up at the night sky just a little more?)
“For most people on Earth, there's no need to do anything,” says Rob Steenberg, a space scientist at NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center. “If everything is working properly, the power grid will be stable and they can go about their daily lives.”
This is the highlight.
When you are in a place with lots of bright lights, such as a city, it becomes difficult to see anything.
Additionally, there are complicating factors such as weather. The Tohoku region is likely to be covered in clouds on Friday night.
In the Midwest, skies could clear after the storm passes.
With such intense solar storm activity, the light could be visible as far south as northern Alabama and Georgia, where night skies are expected to be relatively clear.
However, visibility may be relatively poor in the southern Plains and Rocky Mountains. On the west coast, there will be relatively little cloud cover, so good viewing may be possible.
Some lights may be visible outside the United States.
The Met Office's Space Weather Operations Center said the light was likely to be visible in northern England.
“With lots of clear skies in the forecast, there is a good chance of seeing the Northern Lights across the northern half of the UK,” the agency said on social media.
According to the Met Office, the nights are shorter this time of year, with sunset in Scotland today at 9.14pm and sunrise at 5.12am. Therefore, the period during which it can be witnessed may be limited.
And a final tip: If you're in a sunny area, even south of where the Northern Lights are forecast, take a photo or record a video with your phone.
Camera sensors are more sensitive to the wavelengths produced by the aurora borealis, which can produce images that are invisible to the naked eye.
Katrina Miller and judson jones Contributed to the report.