Ecuador: Northern lights will shine in parts of the U.S. this week


After many years of sleep, a flare-up from the sun to the earth is tempting an extraordinary glimpse of the northern lights for areas farther south than usual and the sun is “waking up” becoming the latest sign.

Solar flares erupted from the Sun on Monday and produced coronal mass ejection (CME) of plasma from the Sun’s atmosphere, which will interact with Earth’s atmosphere from Thursday. As a result, NOAA’s Space Weather Forecast Center is forecasting a multi-day solar hurricane that will reach Wednesday night at G-3 intensity (strong) on ​​a scale from G-1 (minor) to G-5. (Intense)

Solar storms, also known as geomagnetic storms, occur at a time when solar particles interact with the Earth’s upper atmosphere and produce ur roras, explained David Samuhel, a senior meteorologist and astronomy blogger. This contributes to the strength of the hurricane in which the parts can detect spectacular lights.

When these waves of charged particles reach Earth, the planet’s magnetic field funnels them to the north and south poles where they collide with the planet’s atmosphere. It is the interaction between charged particles and the Earth’s atmosphere that results in colorful storms of light called colorful roras. In the Northern Hemisphere, the lights are known as ora rora boralis, and they glow in a variety of colors, including vivid greens and purple.

The catastrophic event is a regular occurrence near the North and South Poles, but it is occasionally seen in more populated areas of Europe and the United States, during intense geomagnetic storms.

“It’s all about the strength of the solar storm. As strong as this hurricane is, the roars are visible from the south,” the group said.

On the intensity of the G-3 hurricane, it is likely that the northern lights will blow the U.S. Can reach destinations from Boston to Chicago to Seattle, although seeing aurora from cities will not be possible due to light pollution.

“If the hurricane picks up this momentum, it’s possible to see southerly directions as far north as Pennsylvania, Iowa and Washington, but it will look like a faint glitter on the horizon, not a band of light overhead like what people believe.” “Aquaweather meteorologist logist Brian Lada said.

However, cloud cover and light pollution can prevent some of these areas from being seen.

“I would say that light pollution affects more (meteor showers) than meteor showers.” “It’s usually unclear when it appears in the far south that you should be in a peach-black area to see it, but it can still be unclear.”

He added that people who see dim lights are often able to get better pictures using longer exposures so that the lights show up.

Minusota and Wisconsin are found in some places with low levels of cloud coverage, Samuhahel said, although there will be poor conditions to see the aurora in northern New England and the Northwest.

However, the group has warned that the hurricane will not subside.

“Predicting these solar storms is much harder, more difficult than forecasting the weather.” “Often events that are hyped like this don’t pan out.”

The strength of these solar storms that allow the auroras to reach further south depends on the intensity of the flames and the CME. The stronger the event, the more stormy. In turn, the stronger the storm, the farther the northern light reaches – and the more serious the potential effects.

These strong flares usually occur during the “solar maximum” or part of an 11-year solar cycle in the form of a greater number of sunspots related to periods of high solar activity and a large number of CMEOs. The solar minimum refers to the period within this 11-year cycle with low solar activity. The Sun is currently changing from a solar minimum to the next solar maximum, predicted to reach its peak in the first half of 2020.

Roars are likely to occur during the solar maximum, but it can also occur during the solar minimum, according to Samuhel. However, the unusually far south-facing .Rora requires strong flares, with no chance except for the maximum solar period.

Solar storms are ranked on the scale of G-1 by G-5, while solar flares are ranked on a five-tier basis with class A flames, followed by B, C, M and X-class flames. Almost every level following the letter has a scale of 1 to 9, although the X-Class Flare has no upper limit.

C4..4-class solar flares observed on Monday – one of the strongest flares aimed at Earth, will provide a transition period to the more active part of the solar cycle 25 that could affect the planet.

“This could be a sign that the sun is ‘waking up,'” Sanhul said. “The current solar minimum is about to expire.”

The last solar maximum was formed from 2011 to 2015 before the sun went almost dormant.

But on November 29, 2020, the M-Class solar flare produced a large CME, although it was directed away from Earth.

Even during the transition period, the direction of solar flares plays a major role in their impact along with their power. When M4.4 passes harmlessly, a combination of strong flares in the direction of the Earth can lead to technical destruction.

According to NOAA, the G3 solar storm of flames is likely to have less impact on power systems, spacecraft operations and satellite navigation. But with strong storms comes more serious effects.

On September 10, 2017, during the last solar eclipse, the Sun emitted X8.3 solar flares – one of the strongest ever, according to Samuhale. It was intended to keep away from the planet.

“It would have caused widespread planetary chaos and fried many satellites. It would probably have been a global catastrophe,” the group said.