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Local sky watchers may be able to see northern lights this week

The US based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting a minor to strong probability that local sky watchers may catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights in the night skies over the next few days
CambridgeToday Staff
northern lights
The northern lights. (Wikipedia)

The US based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting a minor to strong probability that local sky watchers may catch a glimpse of the northern lights in the night skies over the next few days.

The phenomenon usually best viewed in northern regions of Canada during the winter months could be making a rare appearance in Ontario this summer.

On Tuesday, the NOAA upgraded its geomagnetic storm watch for Aug. 17 to 19 due to multiple coronal mass ejections (CME) sending plasma particles into the sun's heliosphere and toward Earth's atmosphere. The solar storm began Aug. 16 and are expected to peak on Aug. 18. 

Models predict those particles have a "moderate" chance of reaching Earth but could also miss our orbit entirely.

The NOAA says if the solar storm reaches Earth, it will spread particles south from its usual polar coordinates, meaning the aurora borealis, more commonly referred to as the northern lights, could be viewed as far south as the northeastern US and Ontario.

EarthSky.org explains that the resulting shimmering, multi-coloured lights that appear across the sky as similar to what happens in neon lights. The atoms in the atmospherere interact with the solar particles, causing them to light up. 

"When the CME approaches Earth, NOAA’s DSCOVR satellite will be among the first spacecraft to detect the real-time solar wind changes" and forecasters will issue any appropriate warnings, the NOAA's website says.

Minimal impacts to satellite technology are anticipated from a G3 storm, the NOAA says.