Key Points
- The visibility of the auroras depends on the Bz component of the solar wind’s magnetic field, which can only be calculated when the solar storm passes monitoring satellites located about 1.5 million kilometres from Earth.
- If the conditions are favourable, auroras may be visible in parts of northern India, central Europe, the northern United States, southern Australia, and New Zealand.
Recently, an area on the Sun’s surface known as Active Region 4461 released an eruption classified as an M1.8 solar flare. It contains a core filament, which is dense, magnetised, and fast. The filament is currently crossing the solar system at an approximate speed of 1,400 kilometres per second and is expected to reach Earth today.
Geomagnetic storms are rated on a scale from G1 to G5. The current forecast is for a G3 storm, which is considered strong. At this level and above, auroras can expand from polar regions to much lower latitudes. Additionally, Space weather scientist Tamitha Skov, on X, described it as a textbook core filament eruption and advised aurora photographers to be ready.
Whether auroras will be visible tonight depends on the Bz component of the solar wind’s magnetic field. It can only be calculated when the solar storm passes monitoring satellites located about 1.5 million kilometres from Earth. This will give us only about 15 to 60 minutes before conditions are confirmed. However, if the conditions are favourable, auroras may be visible in parts of northern India, central Europe, the northern United States, southern Australia, and New Zealand.
(Feature image credit: Francisco Cornellana Castells/Pexels)
Related | Aurora Borealis In Pictures: Exploring The Fascinating World Of The Northern Lights
Note:
The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
