Look Up! You Could See the Northern Lights Tonight
If you haven't recently checked the weather report for space, you might want to tune in. The Northern Lights typically work their magic over the most remote parts of the world, but for tonight only, the colorful glow will likely twist and weave its way across American skies.
The dancing rays and arcs of the Aurora Borealis occur when electrons collide with the outermost edges of the atmosphere. The Earth's magnetic field usually guides them toward the North and South Poles, but a recent geomagnetic storm will trigger a much wider display than normal. And an unusual outburst from the sun called a coronal mass ejection is sending a giant blast of high-energy particles right this way.
The supercharged particles from the solar flare speed through space at a whopping 200 miles per second, according to Business Insider. This particular cloud should slam into our atmosphere tonight, Wednesday, September 6, and provide ghostly lights that last into early Thursday morning.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration currently predicts the rare light show will stretch across all of the upper continental United States, including parts of the following states: Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine.
Darker skies help reveal the magical waves, so competing illumination might make observation slightly difficult. In addition to the usual urban light pollution, September's full moon also rises tonight, adding even more brightness to the sky. The combination may obscure the colorful glow, but give your eyes sufficient time to adjust to the dark before giving up completely. After all, it's not every day that you can catch bucket list-worthy event from a chair in your backyard.
[h/t Space.com]
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