The aurora borealis returns to the sky during these days... Details

2024-07-31 2024-07-31T13:41:16Z

Arabia Weather - If you are hoping to see another display of the Northern Lights to match the May 10-11 event, there is good and bad news. The good news is that the aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, will return between July 31 and August 1. The bad news is that the northern lights display will not be as strong or extensive as the event we witnessed in May, but there will certainly be some wonderful scenes. The Space Weather Prediction Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has announced the monitoring of a geomagnetic storm extending until today, July 31. This monitoring will be extended until August 1.

Current forecasts for solar activity

The center announced an increase in solar activity, as it revealed the presence of a number of complex sunspot groups on the sun, in addition to a strong solar flare R3 that occurred on Sunday evening, and some coronal mass emission were associated with increased activity, with components expected to arrive towards the Earth from Tuesday to Thursday. .

A coronal mass ejection is a disturbance in the Sun's magnetic field that causes an explosion that releases solar particles into space, which may lead to a geomagnetic storm when it reaches Earth. The center issued an observation for a G3 storm, indicating a strong storm, on July 30, and an observation for a G2 storm, indicating To a moderate storm, from July 31 to August 1.

While the event in May was classified as a severe G5 storm, this time it will not be as strong, but there is a chance of seeing an aurora.

Tips for seeing the Northern Lights

If you are in an area where you are likely to see the aurora borealis, it may become visible even as far south as the Northeastern United States, across the upper Midwest, and as far north as Oregon. To keep an eye on events, it is a good idea to follow social media as others share photos and locations of when the northern lights will be seen. .

Small time-lapse I put together with images taken with one of my cameras of the Aurora Borealis near Kansas City, MO. this late evening! @Vincent_Ledvina @TamithaSkov @NickBenderKMBC @LukeDorris @fox4wx @landon_wx pic.twitter.com/4TbEjC044b

— Hunter Hurley (@hunterhurleywx) July 30, 2024

The time of seeing, photographing, and the challenges of seeing

If you live in areas where you can see the aurora, residents of these cities usually have difficulty seeing the aurora; Due to light pollution caused by street lights and other sources, for a better experience, try to head to dark rural areas away from city lights, but do not forget that weather forecasts play an important role; Cloudy conditions may impair visibility.

There is no specific ideal time to see or photograph the Northern Lights. If the sky is dark in your area, you may be able to see the aurora, but it depends on the weather forecast. The aurora may appear and disappear, so be sure to keep an eye on the sky.

Aurora low on the northern horizon – as captured from NWS Goodland during the late evening on Monday July 29 and very early morning on Tuesday July 30, 2024. Note: this video is a series of 30s exposures at ISO 800 (ie wasn't visible to the naked eye). #kswx #cowx #newx pic.twitter.com/vmjby3YE96

— NWS Goodland (@NWSGoodland) July 30, 2024

Upcoming celestial events

This summer is full of celestial events. In addition to the aurora borealis, the six planets are expected to be visible on August 23, and an upcoming nova will also likely light up the night sky, although there is no set date yet.