If you were outside last night, you were likely treated to a spectacular showing of the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis! This colorful display was seen across Nebraska & Iowa. At times, it was so bright that it could be seen in the Omaha metro!
Our neck of the woods was not the only place where they were visible from; in Europe, it was seen in Spain. Across the country, it was seen as far south as Florida, Texas, and even Mexico!
If you (like me) missed the show last night, we do have a chance to see them again tonight! If you want more details on why, read below, but for now, suffice it to say that the "solar storm" is not over just yet. So, if things align again, Nebraska & Iowa are in for another great show.
However, it's never a slam dunk with space weather. There is a chance that the "solar storm" peaks this afternoon, and wanes before sunset, meaning we miss out on the show since it's daylight. As well, it will be partly cloudy, which may obstruct viewing for some.
If it's clear enough and we do get the solar storm this evening, here's what you do. Get away from city lights and look north, and you may be in for one of the most spectacular light shows you will ever see.
What causes the aurora? The Aurora Borealis (FUN FACT: This term is specific to the Northern Hemisphere; the Southern Hemisphere also sees the lights, where it's called Aurora Australis) is caused by the interaction between electrons emitted by the Sun and Earth's upper atmosphere. Thanks to our magnetic field, what would be harmful to us is negated by the magnetic field, which deflects the electrons toward the poles & neutralizes them. This process of neutralizing them is what produces the light as energy is expelled!
The Sun is continually throwing plasma & other stuff our way, this is called the "Solar Wind", which can fluctuate. Occasionally, the Sun will emit a massive burst of plasma. This is known as a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) that hurtles through space. It can take between 18 hours to several days before CME's impact Earth, if they are directed at the Planet.
A CME impact on Earth, among some other changes, can create a Geomagnetic Storm. The intense energy is the condition that can bring the Aurora as far south as Omaha, and what we experienced last night.
It is important to know that most CME impacts do NOT affect any infrastructure on Earth. At most, geomagnetic storms can briefly disrupt satellite & GPS communications. The only impacts most of us will see are the aurora.
Since 2023, the aurora has been visible in the Omaha area 4 times, not counting last night. Yet, some big geomagnetic storms have happened in the past.
Around Halloween 2003, a series of solar flares & CMEs brought the aurora as far south as Texas and damaged some satellites.
Yet, it did not hold a candle to what happened in 1859. On September 1, the most intense geomagnetic storm in recorded history slammed Earth in what has become known as the Carrington Event. The aurora was so bright it allegedly woke up miners, who thought it was morning; people in the northeast United States read the newspaper under the glow of the aurora. The aurora was visible as far south as Hawaii, Cuba, and even Colombia in South America!
Since it was 1859, there was no large electrical grid that was in jeopardy. However, telegraph systems across Europe & the US failed because of the radiation.
