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Francois Campredon / AFP - Getty Images
Northen lights ripple through the skies over Abisko in Swedish Lapland late March 7.
So far, the disruption caused by this week's solar storm seems to be minimal, but skywatchers are maximizing the opportunity to see auroral fireworks — and tonight just might be prime time for the show. Or maybe not.
For several days now, the sun has been sending out bursts of electrically charged particles, known as coronal mass ejections or CMEs. The most spectacular flare-up came late Tuesday, when two X-class solar flares blazed up from a particularly active sunspot region. The waves of particles associated with those flares began sweeping over Earth's magnetic field today.
Usually, that would suggest that tonight's the night to look for the northern lights in somewhat less northern regions of the globe — say, Massachusetts, Nebraska or Oregon. Two factors could put a damper on those expectations: First, the geomagnetic component of the storm is not as powerful as space weather forecasters had expected, at least not yet. Second, the full moon's glare might wash out the delicate glow of the aurora.
To find out whether there's a chance of seeing the northern lights, check out the Ovation Auroral Forecast map from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Testbed, as well as the Aurora Forecast website maintained by the University of Alaska's Geophysical Institute. Right now the outlook is great for Fairbanks and Edmonton, not so good for Boise or Boston. But you never know — and besides, it's worth going out to take a look at the moon and several planets together in the sky, even if the northern lights aren't shining in your locale.
Rest assured the lights will be shining in the usual places, including Scandinavia, Russia and Canada. Here are a few of the beauties from last night. For even more, click on over to the galleries at SpaceWeather.com:
Timo Veijalainen / AV-Lappi
Timo Veijalainen of Sodankyla, Finland, sends along this picture of the northern lights. "There were lots of clouds during the night, but driving to east was answer to our problem," he said in a note to SpaceWeather.com. "Near midnight, auroras started to dance. It didn't last long, but luckily I got few images." Check out the gallery at SpaceWeather.com, and stop by Veijalainen's AV-Lappi website.
AuroraMAX / CSA
The AuroraMAX all-sky camera near Yellowknife in Canada's Northwest Territories captured this subtle display of greenish and reddish auroral lights early this morning. For more from AuroraMAX, check out the project's website and Twitpic gallery.
NBC's Tom Costello reports on the solar storm and shows off some aurora video.
The piece de resistance is this time-lapse video showing the aurora borealis above Sweden's Abisko National Park during a geomagnetic storm on March 7, offered by Chad Blakley from Lights Over Lapland on Vimeo. (Go full screen.) For more from Blakley, check out the Lights Over Lapland website.
More auroral glories:
- Rocket flies into the northern lights
- Aurora extravaganza glows in space
- Planet looks back at the northern lights
- Auroras spark awe across the north
- Slideshow: The best of the northern lights
- Cosmic Log's auroral archive
Alan Boyle is msnbc.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter or adding Cosmic Log's Google+ page to your circle. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for other worlds.
Leave a Comment:
Awesome!
Believe it or not, I saw the northern lights in my hometown of Waco once back in the 80's when I was in high school. One of my friends called me freaking out not long after sunset: "Dude, go outside! What is it!? It must be coming off the sun!"
The sky was illuminated with different colors in every direction. Rather than a green, shimmering curtain, there was just one bright white streak running overhead all the way across the sky, with little red streaks cutting across it in the middle. I called a local radio station to find out what was going on, and they erroneously told me it was gas coming off the space shuttle. Later, on the real news, they announced that it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and the lights were visible all the way down in the Bahamas.
Anyone remember what year that was?
thats so long ago we didn't have memory back then....Ha Ha,just kidding
we saw them one time, it was 2001 or 2002 driving to colorado. we were in the panhandle of TX, pretty close to OK, like 3am. beautiful hot pink color in the sky. my hubby told me it must be the methane from all the cows! lol. i told him it was the northern lights. looked it up when we got home & sure enough, they said you could see them that far south at that time. very pretty. have some awesome pics of it.
Yeah styro, saw them myself from central Texas one morning early, don't remember the year though, late 80s maybe. From my vantage point, I at first thought it was fire reflecting off clouds, then I figured it out, woke up the wife and kids so they could see it.
Strangely, they were not impressed? I was!
Just come in from outside. The wind has been blowing helloffthecross out of the north since ten this morning but it's still cloudy.
bje118, the methane comment made me think about National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
Right beside this byline is another which says "Planet lucked out". Not so fast. NOAA reporting a 40% (high) chance of another X flare in next 24 hours and sunspot AR1429 is now directly facing earth so if it goes off it will not be a glancing blow but a direct hit. Just reporting what the science website is reporting. It appears this current solar stsorm is less than predicted. Lets see what the next one does.
We have a similar occurrence here in Australia but it is red and can only be seen from the southern part. I have only seen it once. Simply amazing
I had hoped to see something (southern South Dakota), but the moon was so bright it was like a street light, and the entire sky was so lit up that I could not even see the Milky Way. This was about 10:30 pm. I guess I should have tried again about 4 am.
i think i saw them around 1987 or 88 in a suburb of chicago, island lake. it was the weirdest thing i ever saw. lights directly abouve our heads and it seemed to be moving really fast, like geenish whitish clouds going in one direction but really fast. it was bright even though i was in the middle of town.
HAARP in action.
Get a freaking grip will you please. This is the effect of massive storms on the suns surface, not Haarp. And potentially far more destructive to electronics. You worry about a largely fictitious machine and not about the massive nuclear furnace called the Sun. Waiter, Priority check please.
Stop listening to Coast to Coast radio.
It's rotting your brain. ;)
This article is BS. This is definitely HAARP in action. I thought it was pretty obvious too.. I can't believe only one other person has mentioned it! Guess MSN news is doing their job after all :/
"Until they become conscious they will never rebel and until after they have
rebelled they cannot become conscious"
obama did it
I was in Northern Minnesota back in the mid-nineties and saw an unbelievable display. The residents were pulling off the road to watch. I just took a walk and didn't see anything going on but I'll check later. I hope to see something.
I was out at about 9:20 PM and once we got to the edge of town we could see them. Very faint but if you knew what you were looking at they were there. Also thought about the post above and it was either 97 or 98.
Cool Alan ....
I thought you would be able to gather some strong photos of the auroras ....
What viewers need to realize , is ....
The photos you gave us to view , all seen to be taken in the day time or in daylight ....
Yes, I don't know why it turned out that way this time... I suppose the days are getting longer in the north. Just a luck of the draw, maybe?
All I see in upstate NY is rain. Of course. The sky has been clear as a bell every night this week. Not tonight.
Ditto to that. Rain all afternoon and early evening here, also Upstate NY. Though I remember clear auroras that happened to be on my birthday (in January) once in the late 70's....
I'm at about 43.2 degrees North, BTW.
Late '80's, early '90's, I was in the Air Force up in Maine, could stand in my back yard and see the lights. Many nights. my daughter's bedroom had a north window, and on cold nights we could stand at her window and watch the lights flicker across the sky.
The beauty and wonder of nature
pretty green
Spent 22 years in Alaska and shared many incredible displays of Aurora Borealis, my favorites are the purples and pinks but these are beautiful too. Thanks for sharing. We don't see them very often in WA lol.
beautiful!
Oh, how beautiful! I love the auroras, both northern and southern. :D
How can we blame George Bush for any possible ill effects?
Darn its overcast here again!
During the late 1950's they could easily be seen looking north from northern Ill. Looking like massive blue/green stage curtains waving across the night sky, they were a great incentive for romantic inclinations btw. Some time later, military associates returned from Polar deployment. They mentioned a certain vague audio frequency associated with the heavy Auroral displays in the stone cold Polar absolute silence. I have often wondered if that is common? Anyone been deployed to the frozen Polar region for extended duty?
And so it begins... the Aurora's affect will turn ordinary folks into the walking dead
I hate when that happens
Not visible in the suburbs of D.C, but have seen them in Alaska in 2004 on the Dalton Highway
within an hour of Fairbanks from Coldfoot. What an awsome sight! Thank you Lord for your Creation!!!
I saw them hundreds of times growing up in Montana.
I'm in Canada right now at 51 degrees latitude. nothing so far here. Partly cloudy. But seen them many times before. Awesome site. Just by looking at these you know that any god invented by man could not have produced these. They are too perfectly explained by physics and so wonderfully artistic. Its nice to be alive.
Our Sun is doing some relatively bizarre stuff currently. Enjoy the show.
...but don't forget your sunblock...
Does all this solar flare stuff have any effect on global warming? I have been noticing it REALLY is warmer in the daytime and much cooler at night, when those green lights show up :)
They're a result of global warming.
That is not true
Too far south and cloudy to get to see them in person. Thanks for putting them up so I can get my vicarious pleasure!
I saw them in the Detroit metro area back in Feb of 06. It was 1am and 16F outside. But the display was so awesome that you didn't even feel the cold. I did wake up the next morning with a soar neck though. :)
IS only the creation of God ,.... I'M NOT scary , I'm scary about the people how contaminet my planet , my land , my home.
Stunning ! and though we'd never see them in my Gulf Harbors on Florida's Gulf Coast, its almost enough to make me visit the Cold :)