Northern Lights in New York? Yes, it is happening. Thanks to geo-storms

Skywatchers alert! People in the United States might have a chance to see Northern Lights on Monday night. Forecasts predict the lights could appear from Monday into Tuesday as far south as New York and Idaho. Some scientists even say that these lights could spread a bit towards Illinois or Oregon.

Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights

Auroras are created in the sky when the sun sends huge shots of energy and particles towards Earth, often from an eruption of the sun called a coronal mass ejection. The electrically charged particles from the sun interact with molecules in Earth’s atmosphere.

Typically, these dazzling green, red, pink and purple lights only appear around the Arctic Circle, or around the South Pole. It is because our planet’s magnetic field lines channel the steady stream of particles, called the ‘solar winds’ to the poles.

But when eruptions or other disruptive events occur on the surface of the sun, they can send an extra flood of solar wind shooting towards Earth, diverting the aurora and even pushing it closer to the equator.

When and where can you see Northern Lights this week?

According to the Space Weather Prediction Center, the northern lights are expected to be seen late Monday to early Tuesday morning.

The official forecast by NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center anticipates a moderate (G2) geomagnetic storm, which could make an aurora appear as far south as New York and Idaho. Space weather scientist Tamitha Skov, however, doesn’t rule out the possibility of a G3 (strong) storm, which could mean an aurora sighting down to Illinois and Oregon.

Best time to see Northern Lights this week

The best time to see the northern lights is “three or four hours around midnight,” though it does occur throughout the night, according to the University of Alaska.

Nature of Northern Lights in the sky

The location of the aurora borealis depends on the strength of the geomagnetic storm. Hence, the lights will appear differently at different latitudes and altitudes.

The colours correspond to the type and altitude of the element excited in Earth’s atmosphere. Excited oxygen atoms shine red when they are more than 120 miles above the surface but glow green from 60 to 120 miles. Excited nitrogen atoms give off pink or purple below 120 miles. A more intense aurora, dancing greens or purples, is typically at higher latitudes. Lower latitudes usually see more red.

(With inputs from agencies)

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