Current:Home > InvestThe northern lights could appear over parts of US Friday night: Where to watch for auroras -Elevate Capital Network
The northern lights could appear over parts of US Friday night: Where to watch for auroras
View
Date:2025-04-18 11:28:19
BOULDER, COLORADO – Space weather forecasters say portions of the northern U.S. could see the northern lights Friday night into Saturday, and there could be another dazzling aurora display next week — although it's too early to know for sure.
First, a bit more on what could happen in early June. A cluster of sunspots responsible for the spectacular nationwide May 10 aurora display has rotated back in view of the Earth, potentially setting up conditions for another spectacle, the federal Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado, said. Very simply put, those sunspots fire up the solar storms that can trigger auroras here on Earth.
But, again, top experts there say it’s still a bit too early to confirm if next week's display will happen.
Where could the northern lights appear Friday night?
The northern lights could appear above parts of the northern U.S. on the night of Friday, May 31 into Saturday, June 1. "The aurora may become visible over some northern and upper Midwest states from New York to Idaho," the SWPC said.
That aurora, if it occurs, will be courtesy of a geomagnetic storm that's hitting the Earth on Friday. A G2 (moderate) geomagnetic storm watch is in effect for the Earth for both Friday and Saturday, the SWPC said.
Bigger northern lights show next week? It's too soon to know.
Next week sometime, a more widespread aurora event might be possible, forecasters said. It all will depend on whether or not the sun belches out a solar flare and/or coronal mass ejection toward the Earth, which would trigger the geomagnetic storms and thus the aurora.
Shawn Dahl, a senior forecaster for the SWPC, said although the sunspot group known as Region 3697 has now rotated back to face Earth, it's too early to say whether it will send out another coronal mass ejection.
"We're forecasting stuff from 93 million miles away, so it's very difficult. And our science is limited," Dahl said. "We can do a great job of predicting the probability that the flare will happen, and if so, what level if might get to, and the same with radiation storms, but we have no way of knowing that a flare is imminent. That science doesn't exist. And we also don't have the science to know when a CME is going to explode off the sun. We have to wait for them to happen."
Skywatchers have their fingers crossed
Eager skywatchers have their fingers crossed, because June 6 is a new moon, meaning the skies will be extra dark and any aurora that does show up will be extra vibrant. Dahl, an amateur astronomer and night sky photographer who missed the May 10th display because he was working, said he's hopeful for a new display caused by the sunspots.
"We have no way of knowing whether it may produce a CME again, but flare probabilities are still high with this region," he said.
Hughes reported from Boulder, Colorado; Rice from Silver Spring, Maryland.
veryGood! (8)
Related
- The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
- Former Vermont officer accused of pepper-spraying handcuffed, shackled man pleads guilty to assault
- Ronnie Ortiz-Magro’s Ex Jen Harley Is Pregnant, Expecting Baby With Boyfriend Joe Ambrosole
- Candidates jump into Louisiana elections, and many races have no incumbent
- Kansas City Chiefs CEO's Daughter Ava Hunt Hospitalized After Falling Down a Mountain
- From Astronomy to Blockchain: The Journey of James Williams, the Crypto Visionary
- Review: Meryl Streep keeps ‘Only Murders in the Building’ alive for Season 3
- Flights and ferries halted in South Korea ahead of storm that’s dumped rain on Japan for a week
- Police remove gator from pool in North Carolina town: Watch video of 'arrest'
- Severe weather in East kills at least 2, hits airlines schedules hard and causes widespread power outages
Ranking
- 'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
- Feds investigating power steering issue on older Ram 1500 pickups
- Chrysler recalls nearly 45,000 vehicles because interior trim may interfere with air bags
- Barbie global ticket sales reach $1 billion in historic first for women directors
- Megan Fox's ex Brian Austin Green tells Machine Gun Kelly to 'grow up'
- White House holds first-ever summit on the ransomware crisis plaguing the nation’s public schools
- Return of the crab twins
- All of You Will Love These Photos of John Legend and Chrissy Teigen's First Vacation as a Family of 6
Recommendation
Blake Lively’s Inner Circle Shares Rare Insight on Her Life as a Mom to 4 Kids
Students blocked from campus when COVID hit want money back. Some are actually getting refunds.
It’s very windy and dry in Hawaii. Strong gusts complicate wildfires and prompt evacuations
Russian officials say 2 drones approaching Moscow were shot down overnight, blame Ukraine
IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
Lawsuit filed after facial recognition tech causes wrongful arrest of pregnant woman
Sinéad O'Connor Laid to Rest in Private Ceremony Attended by U2's Bono
Ohio votes against Issue 1 in special election. Here's what that could mean for abortion rights.