Stargazers in the northern United States and Canada were treated to a rare and spectacular display of the northern lights late Friday night and early Saturday morning, courtesy of a “severe” geomagnetic storm. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), this event was “unusual and potentially historic”. The geomagnetic storm, caused by an eruption of plasma from the sun’s atmosphere, brought the northern lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, to a wider range than usual.
The lights were visible in northern California, the northern Plains, Great Lakes, and the East Coast as far south as the Carolinas and Florida. This is an anomaly, as the northern lights typically occur throughout the year, but are best seen between September and April. NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center estimated a high likelihood of viewing the lights along the Canadian border… with a lower likelihood across the northern United States.
The agency further predicted that the lights will remain visible Saturday night. Forbes recently reported on this phenomenon, providing more details on the magnitude of the geomagnetic storm. According to NOAA, the storm could cause widespread communications disruptions and “widespread voltage problems”, potentially damaging satellites, the electric power grid, and radio.
This warning was the first of its kind in nearly two decades, and comes amid a series of coronal mass ejections from the sun… a phenomenon that occurs when bursts of plasma blast from the sun. As the astronomical community continues to monitor this intense solar storm, “experts warn that this is not the only astronomical phenomenon to come out of it.” Stargazers are advised to take advantage of this rare opportunity to witness the northern lights, “but also to be cautious of potential disruptions to communication and power infrastructure.”
Stargazers in the northern U.S. and Canada were treated to a rare showing of the northern lights late Friday night and before dawn early Saturday morning, the result of a “severe” geomagnetic storm that triggered what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration called an “unusual and potentially historic event.”
A geomagnetic storm—the result of an eruption of plasma from the sun’s atmosphere—brought the northern lights into northern California, the northern Plains, Great Lakes and the East Coast as far south as the Carolinas and Florida late Friday night.
Florida Trekking 