Another coronal mass ejection from the sun could make the northern lights visible again over parts of New England on Friday night. Even if the geomagnetic aurora borealis doesn’t light up the skies above Massachusetts, there’s still a spectacular opportunity to see a different solar phenomenon. Three weeks ago, a solar storm erupted from a massive cluster of sunspots, causing the colorful aurora borealis to be stronger and more visible further south than usual. Sky watchers in Massachusetts saw beautiful greens and pinks in the night sky. The same group of sunspots has rotated around the Sun and is now facing Earth again. It produced a strong, long-lasting flare Wednesday morning, according to the Space Weather Forecast Center. In anticipation of material from this coronal mass ejection reaching Earth, the SWPC has issued a G2 geomagnetic storm watch. This is significantly weaker than the G5-level storm that brought the Northern Lights to Massachusetts earlier this month, but strong enough to potentially make the aurora visible over parts of the United States. “The aurora may become visible over some northern and upper Midwestern states from New York to Idaho,” the SWPC said. Skies over Massachusetts are expected to be mostly clear overnight, but unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the strength of this event will create the same kind of show for our region as it did last time. However, anyone who still has a pair of solar eclipse glasses after that miracle in April can step outside today and see a different solar spectacle. When viewed safely through those eclipse glasses, the sunspot from which the recent flare erupted can be seen as a dark spot on the sun.
Another coronal mass ejection from the sun could make the northern lights visible again over parts of New England on Friday night. Even if the geomagnetic aurora borealis doesn’t light up the skies above Massachusetts, there’s still a spectacular opportunity to see a different solar phenomenon.
Three weeks ago, a solar storm erupted from a massive cluster of sunspots, causing the colorful aurora borealis to be stronger and more visible further south than usual. Sky watchers in Massachusetts saw beautiful greens and pinks in the night sky.
The same group of sunspots has rotated around the Sun and is now facing Earth again. It produced a strong, long-lasting flare Wednesday morning, according to the Space Weather Forecast Center.
In anticipation of material from this coronal mass ejection reaching Earth, the SWPC has issued a G2 geomagnetic storm watch. This is significantly weaker than the G5-level storm that brought the Northern Lights to Massachusetts earlier this month, but strong enough to potentially make the aurora visible over parts of the United States.
“The aurora may become visible over some northern and upper Midwestern states from New York to Idaho,” the SWPC said.
Skies over Massachusetts are expected to be mostly clear overnight, but unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the strength of this event will create the same kind of show for our region as it did last time.
However, anyone who still has a pair of solar eclipse glasses left over from that miracle in April can step outside today and see a different solar spectacle.
When viewed safely through those eclipse glasses, the sunspot from which the recent flare erupted can be seen as a dark spot on the sun.
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