The forecast shows the northern lights may be visible in some states on Sunday – Sce

(NEXSTAR) — Northern U.S. states from New York to Washington and potentially Iowa may be able to see the Northern Lights on Sunday, current forecasts show.

In an alert issued Sunday morning, NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center warned of a moderate geomagnetic storm, triggered by an Earth-directed coronal mass ejection, or CME.

CMEs are bursts of plasma and magnetic material from the Sun that can Effects on navigation, communications and radio signals In the world. They are able to create auroras by creating currents in Earth’s magnetic fields that send particles to the North and South Poles, which interact with oxygen and nitrogen. NASA.

The current Earth-directed CME was sparked by a filament explosion on Friday. SWPC says. It is expected to affect us late Sunday, causing a G1-level geomagnetic storm (low level Five-point scale) G to storm Probably for Monday.

SWPC’s current forecast shows that Canada and Alaska, covered in red in the image below, have the highest chance of seeing the Northern Lights on Sunday. NOAA predicts the southern extent of the aurora — depicted by the red line in the image below — could reach as far south as northern Nebraska and central Iowa.

That means residents of Washington, northern Idaho, Montana, northern Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, northern Illinois, Michigan, parts of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine may also have a chance to see the aurora.

Although the SWPC is expecting strong geomagnetic storms for Monday, the forecast is not as promising. Alaska and Canada still have a chance to see the Northern Lights, but the chance is slim for northern Montana, North Dakota, northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

However, the SWPC reported Friday that in addition to the Earth-directed CME, a Coronal Hole High Speed ​​Stream, or CH HSS, was observed on the Sun. Like CME, A CH HSS can be a geomagnetic storm reaches G1 or G2 levels on Earth – which, in turn, can emit more northern lights.

That CH HSS “will likely impact Earth” between Wednesday and Friday, SWPC said. Aurora forecasts for that day will not be available until at least Tuesday (SWPC only Share forecast for current day and next).

We will see more northern lights in the coming months.

The Sun reaches the peak of solar cycle 25, an 11-year period in which the Sun reverses its magnetic poles, sparking space weather events such as CMEs and CH HSS. New forecasts show it could be Come fast and be stronger than ever thought From January to October next year.

It can’t just mean more Northern Lights phenomena – probably Those in South America have more opportunities to see them — But Impact on our infrastructure.

An added bonus to the current solar cycle? On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will occur near the maximum cycle, meaning a good show for skywatchers. NOAA explains