The northern lights could be visible across Canada Monday night
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If you’re lucky enough to have clear skies tonight, you may want to go out and take a look, as the northern lights may make a good display Monday night.
according to us Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), the Sun released an X1.9 flare, followed by a coronal mass ejection (CME). X flares are the most powerful on the solar flare scale.
However, this flare-up was somewhat remarkable because it persisted for several hoursWhich makes it more powerful than a normal brightness of the same magnitude.
CMEs are large bursts of particles from the Sun that travel faster than normal on the solar wind. If Earth is in their path, the particles interact with its magnetic field and can create the beautiful northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis (or if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, the aurora australis).
The good news for northern lights seekers is that Earth is in the path of the CME.
SWPC said the CME is “expected to reach Earth between late January 19 and early January 20 EST.”
Geomagnetic storms are disturbances in the Earth’s magnetosphere. These are measured on a scale from G1 (minor) to G5 (extreme). The SWPC is predicting a G4 storm, which is considered severe.
The geomagnetic storms that hit Earth in May 2024 and October 2024, which produced incredible light shows south of the Caribbean, were G5 on the scale.
Aurora Borealis is usually seen in the northern regions of the country. But if things go right – for example, Earth is in the path of the fast-moving stream of particles from the CME – they can be seen farther south.
But one big thing that has to happen is that the auroral hole – along which the CME particles travel – will be sinking southward. The further south it goes, the farther south they will appear. And, of course, when we are in darkness the storm is bound to come.
Unfortunately, this time of year is not the best time to see the Northern Lights, not because the Sun is inactive, but because it is more cloudy.
If you hope to see them, try to go to a dark-sky (and cloud-free) location. Due to the severe nature of this forecast, you do not need to head north, although it helps if the storm is moderate.
If you want to know if the Aurora Borealis is visible in your location, you can download apps like aurora alert and aurora forecasting.
