Millions of people in the world will be able to enjoy spectacular views of the Northern Lights
The Northern Lights, seen in northern Norway, on March 9, 2018.
Photo: OLIVIER MORIN / AFP / Getty Images
Many Americans looking to the sky this Halloween weekend they could enjoy a wonderful spectacle, as the Northern Lights are expected to be visible in much of Washington state , the Far Northeast and Upper Midwest of the United States thanks to a large solar flare and “ejection of coronal mass, ”authorities reported on Friday.
The aurora borealis , commonly known by that name in the Northern Hemisphere, is created when charged particles from the sun interact with the Earth’s magnetic field and atmosphere. The aurora borealis is the one that occurs on the north pole and the southern aurora over the south pole.
The scale of geomagnetic storms goes from G1, or minor storm, to G5, an extreme storm.
A CME associated with Thursday’s solar flare is expected to reach earth tomorrow. A G3 (Strong) Geomagnetic Storm Watch is in effect for Saturday and Sunday, and may drive the aurora over the Northeast, to the upper Midwest, to WA state. Check https://t.co/WeNidVVNv6 for updates. pic.twitter.com/GOvR3a8AJX
This geomagnetic solar storm could cause voltage irregularities and false alarms in some protection devices, warned NOAA . It could also cause high frequency radio blackouts and loss of radio contact on the sunlit side of the earth.
The most effect visible of the impending geomagnetic solar storm is probably will overload the Northern Lights, making it visible across much of the United States and Europe, according to CNN.
The forecast of Northern Lights from the Fairbanks Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska indicates that, weather permitting, the Northern Lights could be visible from Portland, Oregon, to the New York City.
May also be visible on the horizon as far south as Carson City, Nevada, Oklahoma City, and Raleigh, North Carolina.
In Europe, the forecast shows that, weather permitting, the Northern Lights can be visible in Norway, Sweden and Finland, and even as far south as Scotland and St. Petersburg in Russia. And it can be visible on the horizon as far south as Dublin in Ireland and Hamburg in Germany.
