Aurora Watchers: don’t do your cameras yet North Lights Can come back for a last dazzling screen this evening (October 2) before the conditions calm down again this weekend.
During the last nights, geomagnetic activity has repeatedly exceeded expectations, with a geomagnetic storm G3 (strong) fairly surprising enlightening the sky as far south as New York Wednesday evening (October 1). Now, the Space Weather Prediction Center Center (SWPC) forecasters of the NOAA say that the show is not yet finished. G2 (moderate) geomagnetic monitoring remains in force for this evening, at high speed solar wind continuous buffet Magnetic field of the earth.
“G3 (strong) A geomagnetic storm activity was observed on October 02 at 0559 UTC.” Noaa SWPC reports. “Similar conditions should continue thanks to 02/1200 UTC with storm levels G1-G2 (moderate minor) which are probable thereafter.”
When and where can you see the northern lights tonight?
Aaaaa Latest KP index forecasts at 3 days shows that geomagnetic activity could reach storm levels G1 (minor) for a large part of the day (October 2), with a potential G2 (moderate) peak between 9 a.m. and 12:00 GMT (5 h to 8 H EDT). Although this peak occurs during daylight for many Aurora hunters, the activity should remain high throughout the day and in the evening hours, offering a decent chance for the observations of the North Lights after nightfall – especially if the storm force holds or intensifies as it did the previous nights.
If the G2 conditions materialize, the Aurora could once again be visible in a large strip in the northern United States, if time allows. Based on the latest oval forecasts from Aurora de la Noaa, the following states seem to be at least partially above or extremely close to the Aurora View line this evening.
States that could see the northern lights this evening
- Down
- Washington
- Idaho
- Montana
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Minnesota
- Wisconsin
- Michigan
- new York
- Maine
- Wyoming
The dawn are very unpredictable, and if G2 or even the levels of geomagnetic storm G3 are reached – as they were the previous nights – the dawral oval could develop further south to include additional states such as vermont, and possibly parts of the northern Pennsylvania, Iowa or Oregon in the south in the right.
Northern hemisphere aurora forecasting graceful of the Met Office
Will the Auroras continue in the weekend?
Unfortunately, this can be the last night of an important Aurora activity of this particular space weather event. The NOAA and the United Kingdom put Office expect the geomagnetic conditions gradually deposited after October 2, while the speeds of the solar wind begin to decrease and Earth Get out of the most active part of the solar wind flow.
There may still be occasional active periods in October 3, but the chances of G1 or stronger storms will decrease.
How to see the northern lights where you live
If you are in one of the 12 American states listed above, here are some tips for catching the display:
- Head to a dark place far from the city’s lights.
- Find a north -oriented view with a clear horizon.
- Look at around midnight at 2 a.m., but watch out as soon as the sky darkens.
- Be patient. The dawn often come in waves and may seem weak at the beginning.
We recommend that you download a space weather application that provides Aurora forecasts depending on your location. An option I use is “my forecasts and alerts aurora”, available for both iOS And Android. However, any similar application should work well. I also use the “Space Weather Live” application, which is Available on iOS And Android,, To better understand if the current spatial weather The conditions are favorable to the observations of Aurora.
What causes Aurora activity?
This combat during geomagnetic disorders is caused by a rapid solar wind flow which flows from a coronal hole of positive polarity, a region of magnetic field lines open on the sun This allows solar particles to escape in space. These high -speed solar winds exploded the earth at speeds exceeding 800 km / s (1.8 million MPH), stirring the magnetic field of the earth and creating ideal conditions for the dawn.
In addition, the current connection of the earth to this coronal hole is particularly strong due to the equinoxknown as the Russell-McPherson effect. This seasonal alignment makes the magnetic field of the planet more sensitive to solar disturbances around spring and autumn equinoxes.
According to NoaaThe solar wind conditions remain “high and disturbed”, with the orientation of the magnetic field (known as BZ) frequently plunging south – a key ingredient to energize geomagnetic storms and produce visible dawn.
