LIFESTYLE

Will the northern lights be visible again this week? It’s less likely

May 13, 2024, 4:08 PM | Updated: Oct 8, 2024, 11:19 am

For those who were willing to stay awake or wake up, the northern lights captivated Western Washington and many parts of the U.S. and the world Friday night and early Saturday as a breathtaking colorful light show took over the skies.

Will the show continue this week?

Forecasters have suggested mixed news for those who are interested: Those in Washington may get a chance to see them Monday night, but it looks less likely going forward.

Examining Monday first, the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration‘s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Sunday night that, “During periods of geomagnetic storm conditions, aurora will potentially be viewable at the middle (and higher) latitudes.”

The best visibility happens away from light pollution and on clear nights. To see how polluted your area is, visit ClearDarkSky’s light pollution map.

Looking ahead to Tuesday, the prediction center stated the aurora could be visible from some spots between New York and Idaho, and not Washington.

In its coverage, however, USA Today added a word caution that forecasting space weather is difficult as researchers have to rely on observations of the sun, which is 93 million miles away from Earth to make their predictions.

What has caused the northern lights phenomenon?

The phenomenon comes after NOAA issued a rare severe geomagnetic storm warning when a solar outburst reached Earth on Friday. Geomagnetic storms, which can trigger the picturesque light displays we have been privy to, range from G1, which NOAA considers “minor” to G5, which are “extreme.”

NOAA explained Saturday that G3 (strong) and G4 (severe) conditions persisted through much of Saturday and a G4 watch is on for Sunday as well. The agency previously stated it hadn’t seen a solar storm like this since 2005. The strength of the storms has decreased significantly since last week, causing the likelihood to see the northern lights to fall significantly.

The spectacular event occurred because of a series of strong coronal mass ejections from the sun. Notably, NOAA stated on X, the source of the storm is a large complex sunspot cluster that is 17 times the diameter of Earth, or the size of 17 Earths.

As to why admirers looking up in the sky see different colors, the prediction center explained that it is defined by the altitude of the aurora. It linked to a PDF explaining more about the colors that can be seen here.

Do these geomagnetic storms impact people on Earth?

NOAA states on its website that G5 storms can cause “widespread voltage control problems and protective system problems can occur. ” In addition, “some grid systems may experience complete collapse or blackouts. Transformers may experience damage.”

The federal agency also said there were preliminary reports of power grid irregularities, degradation of high-frequency communications and global positioning systems.

But the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said that no region had reported any significant impact from the storms. The U.S. Department of Energy said Saturday it is not aware of any impact from the storms on electric customers.

not aware of any impact from the storms on electric customers.

SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service said on its website Saturday that service had been degraded and its team was investigating. CEO Elon Musk wrote on the social platform X overnight that its satellites were “under a lot of pressure, but holding up so far.”

But it shouldn’t affect the people who live on Earth.

“For most people here on planet Earth, they won’t have to do anything,” said Rob Steenburgh, a scientist with NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center.

“That’s really the gift from space weather: the aurora,” Steenburgh added. He and his colleagues said the best views may come from phone cameras, which are better at capturing light than the naked eye.

This storm posed a risk for high-voltage transmission lines for power grids, not the electrical lines ordinarily found in people’s homes, NOAA space weather forecaster Shawn Dahl told reporters. Satellites also could be affected, which in turn could disrupt navigation and communication services here on Earth.

An extreme geomagnetic storm in 2003, for example, took out power in Sweden and damaged power transformers in South Africa.

Even when the storm is over, signals between GPS satellites and ground receivers could be scrambled or lost, according to NOAA. But there are so many navigation satellites that any outages should not last long, Steenburgh noted.

Send us your photos

If you capture some spring pictures or do get to see the northern lights, please share your photos with MyNorthwest on our Share With Us page.

Contributing: The Associated Press; Julia Dallas

Editors’ note: This story originally was published on Saturday, May 11, 2024. It has been updated and republished multiple times since then.

Steve Coogan is the lead editor of MyNorthwest. You can read more of his stories here. Follow Steve on X, formerly known as Twitter, here and email him here.

Lifestyle

FILE - Shoppers and pedestrians walk past a window display at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York, Dec. 1...

Associated Press

Saks Fifth Avenue’s holiday light display in Manhattan changing up this season

NEW YORK (AP) — Dazzling displays of synchronized lights on the facade of Saks Fifth Avenue’s flagship store in midtown Manhattan have thrilled holiday visitors for years. But the store’s holiday display will look a bit different this year, a spokesperson confirmed Monday. “In our 100th year, which also marks the anniversary of the flagship, […]

13 hours ago

Air Force Staff Sgt. Heather O'Brien holds her labradoodle service dog, Albus, on Thursday, Nov. 7,...

Associated Press

‘I got my life back.’ Veterans with PTSD making progress thanks to service dog program

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — After working at a crowded and dangerous internment camp in Iraq, Air Force Staff Sgt. Heather O’Brien brought home with her anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. A bouncy labradoodle and a Kansas City-area program helped her get back on her feet. Dogs 4 Valor, operated through the Olathe, Kansas-based organization […]

1 day ago

Veteran and business owner Jackson Dalton arranges protective gear at the Black Box Safety offices,...

Associated Press

Veterans face challenges starting small businesses but there are plenty of resources to help

NEW YORK (AP) — Many veterans who’ve started small businesses tell a similar story: Their military service prepared them mentally for the task, but they were at a disadvantage when it came to the financial part. “Vetrepreneurs” – veterans that start small businesses or startups — own nearly 2 million small businesses that employ 5.5 […]

2 days ago

Aviva Lehmann, Heritage Auction's senior vice president of American art, responds to a question as ...

Associated Press

The Boy Scouts inspired Norman Rockwell. His works will now help pay abuse survivors

DALLAS (AP) — In one Norman Rockwell painting, a family proudly welcomes a beaming Boy Scout home from camp, his duffel bag in hand. In another of Rockwell’s achingly idyllic works, a Cub Scout stands on a chair to measure the chest of his older brother, a Boy Scout who has taped his fitness record […]

3 days ago

FILE - A jewelers displays an engagement ring on May 14, 2014, in Jacksonville, N.C. (Maria Sestito...

Associated Press

$70,000 engagement ring must be returned after canceled wedding, Massachusetts high court rules

BOSTON (AP) — Who gets to keep an engagement ring if a romance turns sour and the wedding is called off? That’s what the highest court in Massachusetts was asked to decide with a $70,000 ring at the center of the dispute. The court ultimately ruled Friday that an engagement ring must be returned to […]

4 days ago

Image: Patrons walk down the alley at Pike Place Market where the Gum Wall is located....

Steve Coogan

Chew on this: Cleaning of Gum Wall in Seattle to finish Friday

The famed Gum Wall at Pike Place Market in Seattle is getting a refresh for the first time since 2019 this week.

4 days ago

Will the northern lights be visible again this week? It’s less likely