Yet another solar storm is targeting the Earth, and holds the potential to push the northern lights out of the arctic and into the United States, and possibly Ohio.
If you're thinking there has been a lot of solar activity lately, with all the talk about the aurora borealis and geomagnetic storms, you're not wrong. Solar activity runs in cycles and is nearing its peak, according to NASA.
Here's what to know.
Geomagnetic storm watch issued for July 3
A coronal mass ejection (CME) from the sun could land a glancing blow on the Earth on July 3, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center, which issued a geomagnetic storm watch for the day. The center is forecasting a minor geomagnetic storm, level 1 out of 5, if the CME impacts the planet as expected.
The geomagnetic storm could cause weak power grid fluctuations and have a minor impact on satellite operations, according to the SWPC. It could push the aurora borealis into the northern tier of the United States.
Will the northern lights be visible from Ohio?
If the solar storm hits, it is unlikely to push the northern lights into Ohio.
A minor geomagnetic storm, like the one in the forecast for July 3, typically makes the aurora visible at high latitudes, like northern Michigan and Maine, according to the SWPC.
By comparison, the May 10 geomagnetic storm that made the aurora visible across Ohio was rated a G5, the most extreme, and brought the northern lights to all 50 states, USA TODAY reports.
What's causing so many solar storms? The sun is nearing its solar cycle peak
The sun is becoming more active as it nears the peak of its current 11-year solar cycle, which began in 2019, according to NASA,
As the peak, projected to happen in July 2025, nears, geomagnetic storms are more likely to occur. That, in turn, increases the chances that the aurora will be visible from the United States, Erica Grow Cei, meteorologist and spokesperson for the SWPC, said previously.
Following the peak, solar activity slows down, according to NASA, growing less and less until the solar minimum. At that point, a new solar cycle begins as solar activity rebounds.
What is the aurora borealis? How do the northern lights work?
Auroras are ribbons of light weaving across Earth's northern or southern polar regions, according to NASA. Magnetic storms that have been triggered by solar activity, such as solar flares or coronal mass ejections, cause them. The solar wind carries energetic charged particles from these events away from the sun.
These energized particles hit the atmosphere at 45 million mph and are redirected to the poles by the earth's magnetic field, according to Space.com, creating the light show.
During major geomagnetic storms, the auroras expand away from the poles and can be seen over some parts of the United States, according to the NOAA.
What is a coronal mass ejection?
NASA describes coronal mass ejections as "huge bubbles of coronal plasma threaded by intense magnetic field lines that are ejected from the sun over the course of several hours." The Akron Beacon Journal reports that the space agency says they often look like "huge, twisted rope" and can occur with solar flares, or explosions on the sun's surface.
NOAA offers aurora dashboard
If you're curious about the latest forecast for the aurora, the NOAA has a tool for that. The Aurora Dashboard offers a visual, animated prediction of where the aurora might be seen in the next few minutes as well as the following day.
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