By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-12-31 15:46:52 | Updated at 2025-01-07 21:43:48
1 week ago
As revelers across the US ring in the new year with fireworks, another dazzling light display could illuminate the night sky: the northern lights.
The sun expelled two bursts of plasma earlier this week that set to arrive Tuesday and Wednesday, creating the cosmic phenomena in several US states.
People in Alaska, Washington, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine are likely to see northern lights.
Parts of Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Iowa and New York may also have a view.
To spy the spectacle, wait for clear skies to get dark and then go outside, ideally away from bright city lights.
Taking a picture with a smartphone camera may also reveal hints of the aurora that aren’t visible to the naked eye.
But if you miss them on New year's Eve, it's possible that the natural light show could be visible again after nightfall on New Year's Day.
A strong geomagnetic storm watch is in effect for Earth today, and it could make dazzling aurora visible in parts of several northern states
From December 28 to 29, the sun produced a 'flurry of activity,' including two coronal mass ejections (CMEs), or large outbursts of plasma and magnetic field from the outermost layer of the sun's atmosphere.
These CEMs are set to produce back-to-back geomagnetic storms, which are disturbances in the Earth's magnetosphere that can also cause radio blackouts and disrupt satellites.
Aurora, or ribbons of colorful light, which weave across Earth's polar regions are also a result from this influx of charged particles.
The first CME is expected to arrive sometime this morning or later today and cause a G3, or 'severe,' geomagnetic storm.
The second will arrive sometime tomorrow. Current models suggest it will cause a G1, or 'minor,' geomagnetic storm, but experts are reviewing the possibility that its impact could be slightly stronger, akin to a G2, or 'moderate,' storm.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will not know exactly when the northern lights will be visible or how strong they will be until the CMEs are within one million miles of Earth, or 30 to 60 minutes away from impacting our planet.
This is not the first time the northern lights have appeared over the US this year.
This sun is currently at solar maximum, the peak of its 11-year cycle when the sun's magnetic poles flip and its activity increases.
As a result, 2024 has seen a multitude of CMEs, flares and other solar phenomena. Several of these CMEs collided with Earth to create stunning, far-reaching aurora displays.
To see the northern lights, you will want to choose a viewing area that is far away from city lights or other sources of light pollution
In May, for example, a powerful geomagnetic storm brought the northern lights to states as far south as Florida, Texas and Virginia.
This was unprecedented, as the aurora borealis is usually localized around the north pole, and rarely ventures to those lower latitudes.
The severe geomagnetic storm forecasted for today could have other effects, too.
This disturbance in Earth's magnetic field may also disrupt technology and infrastructure, such as satellites, radio communications and the electric grid.
But those impacts should be minor, NOAA stated.
The agency will provide updates on the timing, location and visibility of the aurora as the CME's move closer to Earth.
But it's looking like this New Year's Eve will have some extra festive flare to close out a stunning year of solar activity.
