Latest news with #continental US
Yahoo
08-08-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Will we see the northern lights in Oklahoma tonight? See aurora forecast
When experienced stargazers in the continental United States hear the words, "geomagnetic storm," likely one question comes to mind: Are we getting some northern lights? In this case, the answer is yes, but it may depend on where you live. An explosion on the sun's outermost atmosphere of charged particles, known as a coronal mass ejection, has been hurtling toward Earth since Tuesday, Aug. 5, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The agency's Space Weather Prediction Center has since been tracking the ejection, which it said has the potential to soon trigger a geomagnetic storm on Earth. What does that mean for skywatchers? Well, the particles flowing from the sun could interact with our planet's magnetosphere in ways that trigger the northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis. For the next two nights, the luminous green and red glow of the auroras may be more widely visible than is typical in up to 18 states in the U.S. Here's everything to know about the solar storm, as well as where and when to see the northern lights it could produce in the U.S. Northern Lights: The sun is spewing massive solar flares toward Earth Could geomagnetic storm disrupt communications on Earth? Weaker solar activity won't be noticeable here on Earth. But a geomagnetic storm with enough energy output has the potential to disrupt satellites, communications systems, and even ground-based technologies like power grids if directed at our planet. In extreme cases, powerful solar events even pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts, NASA says. About a year ago, in May 2024, a historically powerful geomagnetic storm was responsible for some reports of power grid irregularities and interference with GPS signals – even farming equipment. On the bright side, it also unleashed spectacular views of the northern lights in parts of the country where auroras are not often visible. In this case, a rapid, intense flash of electromagnetic energy ranks as a G1-G2 on NOAA's scale, indicating a minor-moderate geomagnetic storm that could cause "manageable effects to some technological infrastructure," the agency stated. A moderate geomagnetic storm is also strong enough to unleash views of the northern lights, also known as auroras, in some northern and upper midwest states. What are the northern lights? The auroras are a natural light display in Earth's sky that are famously best seen in high-latitude regions of the Northern and Southern hemispheres. The phenomenon is caused when electrically charged particles from space enter Earth's atmosphere and collide with molecules and gases like oxygen and nitrogen, causing the atmospheric particles to gain energy. To return to their normal state, the particles release that energy in the form of light, according to the University of Alaska at Fairbanks Geophysical Institute website, which tracks the phenomenon. As auroras form, Earth's magnetic field redirects the particles toward the poles through a process that produces a stunning display of rays, spirals and flickers that have fascinated humans for millennia. Whether hues of green, red, blue and even pink dance about in the sky depends on the altitude where the collisions occur, as well as the composition and density of the atmosphere at the time. Where could auroras be visible? For most of the time, auroras are best seen around the magnetic poles of the Northern and Southern hemispheres in Europe, Asia and North America. In the U.S., Alaska is well known to have the best viewing opportunities for the northern lights. But a geomagnetic storm tracked by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is expected to make the auroras visible farther from the poles. The geomagnetic activity detected by NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center has a Kp index of 6 on Thursday, Aug. 7, meaning the northern lights will be active and brighter further from the poles, according to the agency. "At this geomagnetic activity level, it might be possible to see the aurora from the northern edge of the United States," NOAA says on its website. In the U.S., the auroras will be visible Thursday to at least the northern parts of the following states: Washington Idaho Montana North Dakota South Dakota Minnesota Wisconisn Michigan A thin red "viewline" representing the southern-most locations from which you may see the aurora on the northern horizon extends to: Oregon Wyoming Nebraska Iowa Illinois Indiana New York Vermont New Hampshire Maine Will we see the northern lights in Oklahoma? It's possible, though unlikely this time. The best chance of seeing auroras late at night is to look north between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. local time, and away from city lights. This far south, the lights are best seen with a camera, even the one that comes equipped with your smartphone. Although some maps and forecasts have predicted low visibility in southern states, some Oklahomans have still documented nights throughout the summer when they saw the lights in the late-night hours. Geomagnetic storm could produce auroras again Friday night The geomagentic storm will be less powerful Friday, Aug. 8, but is forecast to still be strong enough to trigger the northern lights once again across the northern U.S. By then, though, NOAA predicts the KP index will be downgraded to a 5, which still means the auroras are still bright further than usual from the poles. "If you are in the right place, these aurora can be quite pleasing to look at," according to NOAA's description of of 5-rating on the KP scale. When, how to see the northern lights Even though conditions are prime for more impending aurora shows, experts have long struggled to accurately forecast exactly when and where the phenomenon will ever occur. Even the best predictions can accurately be made only a few days or even hours in advance. But as a rule of thumb, if the weather is clear, the best aurora is usually visible within an hour or two of midnight, according to NOAA. And if it looks as if the northern lights will flare up near you, you should get away from cities and travel to dark locations free from light pollution so you can best see them. The agency also maintains an aurora dashboard that should help skygazers track the phenomenon. NOAA's 30-minute aurora forecast may be particularly useful for regular updates on viewing opportunities. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Northern lights possible across the US. See forecast for Oklahoma Solve the daily Crossword
CNET
28-07-2025
- Science
- CNET
You Can See 2 Meteor Showers at Once This Week. How to Catch a Glimpse
While meteor showers happen all year, a rarer occurrence is having two meteor showers that peak at the same time. It'll happen this week, on Tuesday. The shooting star show comes courtesy of the Alpha Capricornids and Southern delta Aquariids meteor showers. The former is already happening and runs until Aug. 12, with a peak on Tuesday. Southern delta Aquariids will start on Monday, peaks early on Tuesday and runs until Aug. 12 as well. That means for one evening, the two meteor showers are peaking at the same time, giving stargazers a much better chance at catching a shooting star. Of the two, the Southern delta Aquarids is typically the larger meteor shower, tossing upward of 25 meteors per hour during its zenith. Alpha Capricornids is a lesser meteor shower, with about five per hour on average. Combined, they'll output an estimated 30 per hour. See 2 meteor showers at once Since the meteors are coming from two different points in the sky, you would think spotting meteors from both would be difficult, but that is far from the truth. Alpha Capricornids, which hails from the 169P/NEAT comet, originates from the Capricornus constellation. It will rise from the eastern skies across the continental US around sunset and streak across the southern sky, setting in the western sky at sunrise. For the Southern delta Aquariids, its radiant — the point from which its meteors seem to originate — is the Aquarius constellation. Aquarius is right next to Capricornus. That means it also rises out of the eastern horizon, streaks across the southern sky, and sets in the western horizon around dawn. If you have trouble finding either of them, Stellarium's free sky map will help you hunt them down. Set the time, date and location, and you're off to the races. Once you find one, the other one is essentially right there next to it. Tips on watching meteor showers As per the norm, the tips here are the same as they are for the aurora borealis and planet parades. Light pollution and weather are your two biggest enemies. Since you can only do anything about one of those, let's focus on light pollution. You'll want to drive as far away from the city and suburbs as possible, as the light pollution will make it difficult to see the dimmer meteors. The farther away you are, the better, as even suburban light pollution can obfuscate most meteors. Once out there, you just have to sit and wait. Since the constellations will move across the south as you watch, you may have to rotate your chair if you're out there for a while. Otherwise, a pair of binoculars may help. Telescopes aren't recommended, as they obscure your field of view and may actively obstruct your ability to see meteors.
