Another solar storm is in the forecast for Earth, meaning residents of some U.S. states may get another chance to view the aurora borealis on Friday night.
The Space Weather Prediction Center has forecast a possible geomagnetic storm arriving on Friday, May 31, and lasting into the wee hours of Saturday morning. According to the organization, a handful of northern states may end up with conditions suitable for viewing.
The phenomena would be the result of the same cluster of sunspots responsible for the nationwide May 10 aurora display, as they have rotated back in view of the Earth.
The possibility of the lights appearing once more is highly dependent on conditions and location. Here's what to know about your chances of a Friday night light show.
Space research:New research could help predict the next solar flare
The prediction center forecasts a geomagnetic storm arriving on the evening of May 31 and lasting through the morning of June 1. The storm is predicted to reach an intensity level of 2 out of 5, a much lower rating than the May 10 storm that was rated a G5 and viewable from all 50 states.
The moderate storm is the result of a coronal mass ejection, or, "huge bubbles of coronal plasma threaded by intense magnetic field lines that are ejected from the sun over the course of several hours," according to NASA. The ejection is the result of a solar flare on May 29.
However, conditions are still up in the air.
"Our confidence in the G2 event is low, mainly because we expect most of the solar material from the coronal mass ejection to pass behind Earth's orbit," said Shawn Dahl, a senior forecaster for the prediction center. "However, there were indications in our analyses that Earth could receive flanking or near proximity influence and based on that chance, our forecasters saw the potential for G2 levels should that happen."
With days getting longer, it is harder to see the aurora, he added, as windows of dark sky are shorter. On top of this, there needs to be a favorable connection between the coronal mass ejection and Earth's magnetic fields during viewing times.
He recommended that those wishing to see the northern lights monitor the prediction center's website for updates and conditions.
"The aurora may become visible over some northern and upper Midwest states from New York to Idaho," the Space Weather Prediction Center posted on X.
Some states most likely to catch a glimpse include:
Generally speaking, northern lights viewing is best during the darkest hours of the night and early morning.
Friday's lights should be observable between 11 p.m. Friday and 1 a.m. Saturday, though they can be seen up until about 3 a.m., according to theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
"If G1-G2 conditions do indeed materialize ... tonight would most likely be the time to be on the lookout − far less likely Saturday night," Dahl said.
The northern lights are a luminous glow seen around the magnetic poles of the northern and southern hemispheres, according to the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute. Known for creating ribbons of colorful light in the night sky, the aurora borealis are polar lights, or aurora polaris, that appear in the northern hemisphere.
The southern hemisphere has its own polar lights known as the southern lights, or aurora australis, which create their own dazzling display.
Put simply, auroras are a result of the sun interacting with the Earth’s atmosphere. A collision between electrically charged particles from the sun and gases in Earth’s atmosphere produces a series of minuscule flashes that appear like moving lights in the sky. The charged particles are pulled toward the North and South poles due to Earth’s magnetic field.
While that magnetic field usually protects the earth from solar winds, the winds can occasionally get strong enough to bypass the field, allowing particles and gases in the magnetosphere to interact and generate the colorful displays, according to the Geophysical Institute and the Canadian Space Agency.
