Northern Lights could be visible over Kansas as possible geomagnetic superstorm forms

TOPEKA (KSNT) – A massive sunspot impacting some radio signals on Earth could produce rare appearances of the Northern Lights in the Midwest.

Seeing the Northern Lights, otherwise known as the Aurora Borealis, from a vantage point in Kansas is uncommon. However, this event comes as scientists monitor a large sunspot cluster and geomagnetic storm which could be one for the history books.

‘Monster sunspot’

27 News consulted Brenda Culbertson, a Solar System Ambassador with NASA, about the impact the Sun is having on this month’s space weather. She says a “monster sunspot complex” visible to the naked eye can be seen on the Sun’s surface. People wanting to catch a glimpse of it will need to wear protective equipment such as solar eclipse glasses.

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The sunspot is being compared to a similar event which was last observed by scientists in the 19th century. This event had far-reaching impacts on Earth due to a very powerful geomagnetic storm.

“The size of this sunspot complex is not very common,” Culbertson said. “The size and activity of this one is comparable to the Carrington Event that happened in 1859. That event shorted out the electric grid in a large area on Earth, and wiped out the telegraph service around the world. Scientists do not believe the current geomagnetic storm will be that intense, even though the sunspot complex is at least as big as the one causing the Carrington event.”

The Carrington Event is referred to as the largest geomagnetic storm in recorded history, according to the National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service (NESDIS). This event produced an aurora so bright people in the northeastern U.S. could read in the middle of the night without the use of other light sources. A similar event occurred in 1989 in Canada, leaving six million people without power for hours or even days.

Storms in space

The Northern Lights are the product of solar coronal mass ejection (CME) events on the Sun which lead to the creation of geomagnetic storms on Earth, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Being able to see the Northern Lights around Earth is dependent on how powerful these storms are.

“The monster sunspot complex has produced several CMEs over the past 24 hours, and if/when they impact Earth’s geomagnetic field, they could produce a geomagnetic storm,” Culbertson said. “As of 11:00 a.m., Thursday, the geomagnetic storm level is at G3, which is in the moderately strong range. If it intensifies, there is a possibility of seeing Aurora Borealis at mid latitudes.”

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The NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) initially issued a G3 watch but later upgraded to a G4 watch for May 10-11 due to multiple CME events. This is the first time an alert of this magnitude has been issued since January 2005. An aurora may be visible for people living in the northern U.S. along with those living as far south as Alabama.

For context, the SWPC uses a scale to measure the severity of geomagnetic storms ranging from G1 to G5. A G1 storm may have a slight impact on satellite communications and weak power grid fluctuations while G5 storms have the potential to cause power grids to experience mass blackouts or complete collapse.

Northern Lights over Kansas?

Culbertson says she is hopeful of seeing an aurora this week and will continue to monitor activity in space as May 10 approaches. The Moon will not be in the sky during the event, increasing the chances people may catch a glimpse of the lights if skies are clear.

“If conditions are favorable, people should start looking toward the north, from a dark site, where they can see the horizon, and begin looking as soon as the sky is dark,” Culbertson said. “That will be around 10 p.m. or later.”

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The further north you are located in the Sunflower State, the higher your chances will be of spotting the Northern Lights. In 2023, a photographer in Kansas was able to capture the lights as they appeared over Seneca.

Culbertson encourages people to keep an eye on the storm using spaceweather.com if they’re interested in following how this situation develops. You can also tune in to alerts related to this event and other space weather events by going to the SWPC’s website.

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