If you missed the northern lights that illuminated the sky Tuesday night, you may get another opportunity to witness this natural phenomenon.
The aurora is expected to arrive Wednesday afternoon and is forecast to be at its strongest during that time. However, the lights won't be visible until after dark tonight.
The aurora, also referred to as the northern lights, is the glow or light produced when electrons from space flow down Earth’s magnetic field and collide with atoms and molecules in the upper atmosphere in a ring or oval centered on the planet’s magnetic pole, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center.
The lights represent one manifestation of geomagnetic activity, or geomagnetic storms. They are produced similarly to how vivid lights are created in colored light bulbs.
Vivid colors, such as red, are produced at the highest levels of the atmosphere, while colors like pink are produced at lower levels of the atmosphere.
What causes the aurora?
The two types of solar events that create large geomagnetic storms include a coronal mass ejection (CME), which is a large expulsion of plasma and magnetic field from the sun’s corona, according to NOAA.
The other is called a coronal hole, which is the source of high-speed solar wind streams. When these high-speed streams arrive at Earth, they can produce active auroras, which tend to be less intense than those from the biggest and fastest CMEs.
What caused this aurora?
The aurora was caused by two CMEs on Tuesday, which led to the beautiful skies that captured the attention of people across the state.
A third CME is expected to arrive Wednesday afternoon, with the strongest geomagnetic activity forecast for late Wednesday morning and early afternoon.
If you’re lucky enough to see the lights, we’d love to see your photos! You can send them to us at tmj4.com/share, email us at news@tmj4.com, or message us on Facebook.
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