Aurora Alert: Map shows Increased visibility of the northern lights again tonight

While the current active solar cycle is in full force, measured as an 11-year period, the sun continues to unleash strong solar flares, adding to the possibility of another spectacular northern lights display again this weekend with the farthest south view line forecasted for Friday, Oct. 18.

The solar cycle 25 began in December 2019 and is now hitting the solar maximum, NASA said — a period when sun eruptions are more active and the visibility of the northern lights more frequent.

Solar flare eruptions are associated with coronal mass ejections, which occur when plasma from the sun interacts with the Earth’s magnetic field, NOAA explains. When this solar material reaches Earth, geomagnetic storms can occur, like the recent events when NOAA issued a strong G4 geomagnetic storm alert, during which the northern lights were visible as far south as Texas.

The best viewing times will be from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m., according to the NOAA, adding that light pollution and clouds will disrupt the night sky views.

 

The northern lights view line map for Friday, Oct. 18:

The northern lights view line map for Saturday, Oct. 19:

NASA describes the phenomena as a sun burp, adding the sun has lots of energy and small particles, many of which the planet’s magnetic field offers protection from, and there is a constant streaming solar wind, and there are also solar storms.

“During one kind of solar storm called a coronal mass ejection, the sun ‘burps’ out a huge bubble of electrified gas that can travel through space at high speeds,” a portion of NASA’s website states. “The particles then interact with gases in our atmosphere, resulting in beautiful displays of light in the sky.”

 

“Oxygen gives off green and red light,” NASA adds. “Nitrogen glows blue and purple.”