Auroras may shine Friday evening due to lingering geostorm
An ongoing geomagnetic storm may linger into the evening hours on Friday, potentially sparking a bright display of the auroras over parts of Canada.
Be on the lookout for the Northern Lights in the evening sky tonight, as we may see the lingering effects of the 'cannibal CME' that swept past Earth.
The strong geomagnetic storm space weather scientists predicted for overnight Thursday apparently arrived later than anticipated, sparking bright auroras only over parts of western Canada and the United States.
This view of the Aurora Borealis was captured from Moosejaw, SK early in the morning on December 1, 2023. Credit: fromthejaw/X
However, the eastern half of North America may have a second chance to see them, as the impacts of this storm could persist into early Friday night.
NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center has forecast G3 (strong) geomagnetic storm conditions in the hours just after sunset for Atlantic Canada, Quebec and Ontario.
This could push the auroral arc as far south as Newfoundland, New Brunswick, and the northern Great Lakes. Observers farther to the south could possibly see auroras hanging just above the far northern horizon.
Storm conditions are likely to diminish a few hours after the Sun goes down, however. NOAA SWPC expects that there could be periods of G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm activity throughout the rest of the night, as the auroral arc sweeps past the Prairies and western Canada. Still, even a minor geomagnetic storm can result in exceptional displays of the Northern Lights across central regions of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.
Having at least partly clear skies is essential for aurora viewing.
According to the latest weather forecast (see the map, below), northern Ontario through Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the eastern parts of central and northern Alberta appear to have the least amount of cloud in the sky tonight.
The coloured arcs represent the different levels of geomagnetic activity, with the yellow line (Kp=7) denoting the typical aurora extent during a G3 geomagnetic storm. The green line (Kp=5) is the usual visible extent of auroras for a G1 geomagnetic storm.
Note that since light pollution from urban environments can make seeing them more of a challenge, the best place to watch for auroras is from under dark rural skies.
(Thumbnail courtesy Shannon Prentice, who snapped this image of the Northern Lights near Red Deer, Alberta, on May 2023.)
