On Wednesday, three rapid bursts of charged particles from the sun’s outer atmosphere headed towards Earth, setting the stage for potential stunning auroras across the US and even as far south as Florida over the weekend. Traveling at over 1.5 million miles per hour, the trio of coronal mass ejections merged into one pulse of plasma and magnetic field during their 60-hour journey towards our planet.
Experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center issued a “severe geomagnetic storm watch” in anticipation of the arrival of these charged particles. This alert, the first in nearly two decades, indicates the potential for visible auroras across the United States as well as disruptions to radios, satellites, and possibly power grids, though these disruptions should not be cause for major concern.
This weekend’s aurora potential traces back to a sunspot more than 10 times larger than Earth, visible even through a pair of eclipse glasses. Solar flares and CMEs, such as the ones observed in this event, are often associated with sunspots. Satellites monitoring solar activity detected the first CME emerging from the sun’s corona on May 8, followed by two more bursts of charged matter in subsequent hours.
The combined intensity of these three CMEs reaching Earth simultaneously is what drives the severe geomagnetic storm forecasted. If everything unfolds as expected, a memorable display of auroras could illuminate the night sky over much of the United States from Friday into Saturday morning. Cities such as Seattle, Chicago, New York, and Washington, DC could witness the northern lights, with potential sightings as far south as Oklahoma City and Raleigh, NC, and even northern Florida.
Individuals in Europe and Asia may also have the chance to see the auroras if the storm aligns with their nighttime hours. During the peak of this event, cities like London, Paris, Berlin, and Moscow may experience the enchanting dance of the northern lights overhead.
