TORONTO – Tonight, go outside and look up: you may see a beautiful display of the northern lights.
A coronal mass ejection (CME) has arrived, which has already sparked bright auroras in Europe. Though the CME was not directed toward Earth, we’ve received a glancing blow triggering a geomagnetic storm.
The National Oceanic and Space Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center forecasts that the storm could last close to 24 hours.
As of 6 p.m. EST Thursday Kp index, which measures the disturbance in the Earth’s magnetic field, is at 6, which means there is a good chance of northern lights in mid-latitudes, even stretching to the United States.
This geomagnetic storm was triggered by the long-lasting sunspot that produced an X-flare early Monday morning.
So, bundle up and go outside tonight!
Comments