Northern Lights Alert: 10 States May See Aurora Monday Night

The northern lights can be seen in the US states on Monday, March 30 until Tuesday, March 31, after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a geomagnetic storm warning, warning that a G1 or G2-class geomagnetic storm may occur. Geomagnetic effects may include auroras, possibly in the northern sky several hours before dawn on March 31.

It comes after the X1.5 solar flare – a powerful explosion of rays traveling at the speed of light – on March 30, which erupted from sunspot 4405. It produced a coronal mass ejection – a cloud of charged particles that cause the aurora when they interact with the Earth’s gravity. Importantly, the CME appears to be moving toward Earth and is expected to produce a G2 or G3-class geomagnetic storm Tuesday, March 31 through Wednesday, April 1, according to SpaceWeather.com.

A bright, almost pink moon will be in the sky after dark and will shine all night, making it difficult to see the faint aurora.

Northern Lights Awareness: Where and When to Look

NOAA’s aurora line of sight shows the northern lights may be visible — possibly as low as the north coast — in about 10 US locations near the Canadian border. Top-ranked states include Alaska and (northern parts of) Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Maine.

If a G2 category geomagnetic storm erupts – which is possible – it could make the aurora visible from southern states. That would mean fewer visible auroras in the northern parts of Oregon, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, New York, Vermont and New Hampshire. However, the northern countries will always have a good chance.

For the best views, wait until the moon goes down, using a light pollution map and Dark Sky Place Finder (although it will be important to find a clear sky). When the northern sky is clear and dark, the display is stronger – even during moderate geomagnetic storms.

Major Sunspots

The sun’s surface is now covered with sunspots – magnetic disturbances on the surface of the sun – with more than 10 areas. Sunspots are cool areas on the sun caused by gravitational interactions, according to NASA and they tend to produce solar radiation, which causes coronal mass ejections.

The sun’s 27-day cycle produces many sunspots from Earth, meaning the chances of solar activity and the northern lights are high over the next week or two. As the sun rotates, the sunspots will face Earth, which puts the planet in what scientists describe as the “attack zone.”

Northern Lights Alert: Latest Updates

It is difficult to predict the exact time of the local weather because it depends on the speed of the solar wind. Continue to monitor NOAA’s 30-minute aurora forecast and SpaceWeatherLive.com, as well as apps like Aurora Now, My Aurora Forecast, SpaceWeatherLive or Glendale Aurora, which provide solar wind data.

See information on the Bz component of the interplanetary magnetic field, which shows how easily solar energy penetrates the Earth’s magnetosphere. When Bz points north, the Earth’s field opposes it; when Bz goes south, these two fields connect, and blood flows.

How to Photograph the Northern Lights

If your smartphone has Night Mode or Pro Mode, you can take a good photo of the aurora with these steps:

• Use your prime lens, not a super wide one, for sharper results.
• Stabilize the camera using a tripod or place it on a solid surface such as a car roof, wall or post.
• Shoot in RAW format when available, as it makes editing easier.
• Expect a long exposure between five and ten seconds. Even small amounts of gases that look gray to the eye often show up as bright green, purple, or red in pictures.

What Causes the Northern Lights

The solar wind – streams of charged particles that flow from the sun and interact with Earth’s gravity – cause the northern and southern lights. Although most of them are deflected, some particles move around the magnetic field towards the poles, colliding with oxygen and nitrogen atoms high in the atmosphere. These collisions excite the gases, causing them to emit energy as bright light.

I wish you clear skies and big eyes.