The Northern Lights Are Expected Over The Northern US Tonight

A stormy week on the sun may give parts of the United States great views of the Northern Lights this weekend.

Geometric storms on the 16th and 17th shot Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) toward Earth. And they’re expected to create stunning auroras for the states bordering Canada on Saturday, July 20, and Sunday, July 21.

The Northern Lights happen when the CMEs hit Earth’s atmosphere. After colliding with the atmosphere, the charged particles scatter toward the poles and get trapped in our planet’s magnetic field.

“These particles then slam into atoms and molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere and essentially heat them up,” said Royal Observatory astronomer Tom Kerss in a Royal Museums Greenwich blog post . “We call this physical process ‘excitation’, but it’s very much like heating a gas and making it glow.”

The common green hues happen when oxygen mixes with the particles. Nitrogen creates the purples, blues, pinks, and reds we sometimes see.

Check The Northern Lights Map To See If You Live Within The View Line

According to the NOAA, tonight (July 20) will be the best night to watch the Northern Lights. Those living within the red view line on the map below will have the best chance of catching the colorful show.

WIBX reports that much of the viewing area will have clear skies for the Northern Lights. The best time to see them is between 9 PM and 3 AM.

This story’s featured image is by Denis Belitsky via Shutterstock.

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