Northern Lights could appear in NC skies Thursday, Friday

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Seeing the Northern Lights may be possible as far south as North Carolina Thursday night, according to the latest aurora forecast.

Auroras can often be observed on Earth just after sunset or just before sunrise, and are not visible during daylight. The best viewing will be in areas shaded in green and further north, but it’s possible we could see some color in Raleigh’s night sky.

Look north between 8 p.m. and midnight and use a night mode on your phone.

The Space Weather Prediction Center said the sun has been incredibly active with fast coronal mass ejection (CME) erupting from the surface. The latest one happened Tuesday evening and it is likely to arrive to Earth by midday Thursday.

According the SWPC, “there is potential to reach G4 (Severe) upon arrival of this CME and throughout this passage. We won’t know the characteristics of the CME until it arrives 1 million miles from Earth and its speed and magnetic intensity are measured.”

Energy ejected towards Earth is important to track and monitor because it can impact HF radio communications and GPS/GNSS satellite navigation . According to NOAA, it is closely related to the ground induced currents that impact electric power transition.

Typically, you have to travel way up north to see the beautiful, green nighttime phenomenon , but maybe not on Thursday and Friday night this week.

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