“Aurora Borealis Forecast” is trending, but only the northern states can see anything
aurora? sort! The Northern Lights are popular on social media on Thursday, but don’t take you too much hope. It can only be seen in limited areas of the United States.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Forecast Center, the Aurora borealis will be quite mild on Thursday. The agency called for 4 KP indexes of about 4, indicating “quiet aurora”. They have appeared regularly over the past few weeks, indicating that the halo that happened this week is not too special.
Read more: Who knew the Northern Lights had one season? We’re inside now
John Clarke, an emeritus professor of astronomy at Boston University, said the online forecast is close to 5 kp.
Despite higher forecasts, Clark said the Aurora should cover mainly Canada rather than the United States, but did point out: “What happens depends on the solar wind, and (KP index) is just a prediction.”
It is possible that people in some states can see it, mainly in states bordering Canada. They include Washington, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Maine. In unlikely, it reaches South Dakota, New Hampshire and Vermont, which may join the action.
People in Alaska will have the best view, as the strongest part of Aurora will be sliced thinly in the central and northern parts of the state.
Last year, several excellent Aurora Borealis examples arrived in southern Texas. Since then, if not the most spectacular example, Aurora’s sightings have become big news.
Read more: Check out these breathtaking photos of the Northern Lights
Are there more aurora coming?
Although this aurora is not special, it does not mean that a good aurora won’t appear soon. We are in the Aurora seasons of March and April each year (and September and October). This means that the likelihood of activity increases next month.
The sun is also at its peak in its 11-year cycle, meaning solar activity will remain at its highest level in history around next year. When the sun is active, it throws out more solar flares than normal. Because of how solar impacts the Earth form, this means that there is even higher chances of good aurora next month.
However, the sun’s weather is much like the regular weather on Earth. It’s hard to predict. So, although there will be a big aurora very soon, there may be a quiet aurora season. So if you embrace the Canadian border, it won’t hurt to go outside tonight to see the sky. It may be better than the predictions indicate.
