![]() However, these auroras are sudden and short-lived. In the solar maximum, the sun is more “active”, leading to northern lights that are caused by solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Luckily, there is a benefit of being closer to the solar minimum-it means that the lights can actually be more predictable. Read more: Catch the northern lights from your ice hotel: Norway's Far North is the ideal winter playground Can I still see the northern lights during the solar minimum? We’re currently closer to the minimum and will ramp up to the next expected maximum in July 2025. The solar minimum occurred in December 2019, which kicked off the start of a new solar cycle, known to experts at NOAA and NASA as Solar Cycle 25. This creates a lot of northern lights activity, followed by a couple of years of transition, then three to four years of solar minimum. While they are famously a night-time phenomenon, the northern lights are actually influenced by the activity of the sun.Īccording to Rodney, the sun goes through a roughly 11-year cycle, which includes three to four years of solar maximum. Is 2022 a good year to see the northern lights? The best time to see the lights differs slightly by country, but, in general, the peak season is between November and March. But overall, Rodney has some pretty simple advice for aurora hunters: “be patient and go north”.Ĭlear skies are a must for viewing the lights and, of course, staying in a destination for as long as possible will help increase your chances of spying them. The NOAA website has additional tips on where to view the aurora with links to maps that show where the light show can be seen. According to him, spots like Fairbanks in Alaska, Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Churchill in Canada, and Iceland and northern Norway are all safe bets. ![]() Rodney Viereck works at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – a US government body that specializes in monitoring weather and atmospheric conditions. Once you’ve decided you’re ready to tick seeing the northern lights off your bucket list, the next decision is where to go. NOAA said it notified power grid operators, satellite operators and airlines about the impending magnetic storm, as the energy can disrupt the grid, navigational equipment and telecommunications.The aurora borealis streak across the sky above the Lofoten Islands in Norway © Nutexzles / Getty Images Where is the best place to see the northern lights? The plasma carries enough magnetic energy to disturb the Earth’s magnetic field, which excites gases high up in the atmosphere, causing them to glow. The plasma is traveling at more than a million miles per hour, closing the 92 million miles from the sun to Earth in just a few days. 30, 2021, meaning the Northern Lights could be visible as far south as New Jersey. 28, 2021 is predicted to set off a geomagnetic storm on Earth on Saturday, Oct. A strong solar flare released from the sun on Oct. ![]() ![]() The solar flare was an X-class, the highest designation, and behind it was a strong “coronal mass ejection,” which is a wave of magnetized plasma hurling away from the sun and, in this case, towards Earth. The effects of the storm may linger into Sunday night, according to AccuWeather, when the weather could clear up. And much of the eastern part of the country could remain under cloud cover through the night. First, much of this area may be too polluted by city lights to make out the glow. But seeing the phenomenon in Pennsylvania or New Jersey may prove to be difficult. The lights are perfectly timed to cast a ghostly wave over northern states the night before Halloween. 28, 2021 could set off a geomagnetic storm on Earth strong enough that the Northern Lights could be visible in New Jersey on Saturday, Oct. ![]()
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