Northern Lights Show Possible For New England Skygazers
BOSTON (CBS) – You certainly wouldn't know it, but right now there is a massive storm overhead. Don't bother going to your window, you won't see anything but beautiful, deep blue skies. What is going on right now is on a planetary level.
As you read this article from the comfort of your living room or office cube, a massive geomagnetic storm is barraging our planet. No need to rush out for bread and milk, we are in no danger, our atmosphere is fully protecting us. So what is going on? Simply put our sun has gas. Well actually it is made up entirely of gas, but on occasion it builds up and releases a burst of radiation.
This is exactly what happened this week, twice actually, on Monday and again on Wednesday. Turns out, this is a rather frequent occurrence, however this time was different for two reasons. First, the sunspot from which this burst came from was aimed directly at Earth when it happened. Second, it was coupled with what is called a coronal mass ejection, otherwise known as a massive explosion of magnetized particles (that should clear that up).
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Being that the sun is some 93 million miles away, it takes a few days for this radiation to arrive. Now that it is here, there are a few things you should know.
Again we are in no danger. The worst that can happen given the magnitude of this event would be some minor interruption of radio systems, satellite data or perhaps some blips on your GPS. There will be no major power grid problems like back in 1989 for parts of Canada. Your electronic gadgets are safe, no worries.
The most likely impact from this giant solar belch is a flare up of the Northern Lights, otherwise known as the Aurora Borealis. You have likely heard Aurora watches go out before, and unless you have spent a significant amount of time in the northern latitudes of Canada you probably have never seen the show. It is a very elusive phenomenon this far south into New England, but there is a chance we could get lucky tonight.
I don't want to get your hopes up, best chance of see the Northern Lights tonight is clearly up in Canada, where a terrific show is almost certain. However, there is a chance that areas as far south as Seattle, Chicago, New York City and even Boston good get in on the action overnight.
The weather will certainly cooperate with clear skies and low humidity, viewing conditions will be excellent. If you want to increase your chances of seeing the Lights locally, just get to a rural location away from any artificial lights. The moon will be working against us as it is still about 82% full, it will rise just after 9 p.m. tonight.
Finally if you do catch a glimpse, please snap a picture and send it in to weather@cbsboston.com, we would love to put your picture on air!
Follow Terry on Twitter @TerryWBZ
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