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Where can you witness the northern lights in US this weekend?
Massive geomagnetic storm predicted to bring northern lights spectacle to the US this weekend, with potential sightings as far south as Alabama and California.
The Earth is predicted to witness a massive and powerful geomagnetic storm during the current weekend, and very far from Alaska, which is all the way south in Alabama and Northern California, people may even see traces of the northern lights or aurora, officials said. If the sunlight activity is just at the right level, some of the people who live far away can also view the aurora borealis as it roams the map above their eyes.
The storm has initiated telecom omes, power grids and satellite forecasters of possible disruptions, but at the same time, it makes for a spectacular light show in the sky at night.
Geomagnetic storm to illuminate skies across US
Rob Steenburgh, a space scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center, highlighted, “If you happen to be in an area where it's dark and cloud-free and relatively unpolluted by light, you may get to see a fairly impressive aurora display, and that's really the gift from space weather, is the aurora.”
A map released by the centre indicates that the aurora may be visible across much of the northern half of the US on Friday night, with a red line delineating the extent of the aurora forecast.
The National Weather Service's St. Louis office advised residents in the area to seek out dark, rural surroundings away from city lights for the best chance of witnessing the northern lights spectacle.
“Get away from city lights into a dark, rural surrounding and look north,” the office recommended via social media.
While the prediction centre notes that observers don't need to be directly underneath the aurora to see it, the phenomenon can be observed from as far as 620 miles away.
However, the optimism for viewing the aurora was less pronounced in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the local weather service office expressed doubt about the chances for a nighttime show.
He said, “Probably not, but I'll still look up while walking my dog.”
Geomagnetic storm will last the whole weekend
The storm is expected to last through the weekend, offering multiple opportunities for a northern lights display. The prediction center released a forecast map for Saturday night, indicating continued chances for viewing the aurora.
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For those in the southern US who may not be able to see the aurora with their naked eyes, officials suggest taking photos with smartphones, which are better equipped to capture the light.
“Cellphones are much better than our eyes at capturing light,” remarked Brent Gordon from the Space Weather Prediction Center.
“Just go out your back door and take a picture with a newer cellphone, and you'd be amazed at what you see in that picture versus what you see with your eyes.”
