Northern Lights: Get Ready For Action As 'Equinox Aurora Season' Is Triggered

[Judi Lynn]

Jamie Carter
Senior Contributor

Sep 10, 2024,06:00am EDT



The Northern Lights are seen above the Columbia River Gorge from Chanticleer Point Lookout in the early morning hours of May 11, 2024 in Latourell, Oregon. Places as far south as Alabama and parts of Northern California were expected to see the aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights from a powerful geomagnetic storm that reached Earth. (Photo by Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images)


Earth is about to reach a place in space where geomagnetic activity is more likely—and that means stronger displays of the Northern Lights. Given that the sun is more active than ever since 2000, according to the latest figures, it could mean aurora displays at lower latitudes than usual, to 40 degrees north or even farther towards the equator.

That's what famously happened on May 10-12, when a global geomagnetic storm caused magnificent displays of colorful aurora as far south as Arizona and Florida.

When and where another G5 geomagnetic storm will materialize is anyone’s guess, but in September, there’s a bigger chance of any magnetic disturbance having a greater effect than is typical. That’s because there's a connection between Earth’s magnetic field and that of the solar wind. During a “solar maximum”—thought to be around about now—that goes double.

Data from the British Geological Survey backs up the claim that geomagnetic storms are more common during the spring and fall than in summer and winter—with late-September and early-April containing some of the most geomagnetically active days of the year.

More:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2024/09/10/northern-lights-get-ready-for-action-as-equinox-aurora-season-is-triggered/

[JoseBalow]

1. NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center - Aurora Dashboard

When and where can you see the northern and southern lights also known as the aurora? This page provides a prediction of the aurora’s visibility tonight and tomorrow night in the charts below. The animations further down show what the aurora’s been up to over the last 24 hours and estimates what the next 30 minutes will be like.

https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/communities/aurora-dashboard-experimental