Rare Display of Northern Lights Visible Across US, Causing Awe Among Sky-Gazers.
A powerful geomagnetic storm swept across much of the United States on Tuesday and Wednesday, creating a spectacle that allowed people in dozens of states to witness the breathtaking display of the northern lights. The phenomenon, also known as the aurora borealis, is caused by charged particles from the sun colliding with gases in the Earth's upper atmosphere.
Photographs posted on social media showed vibrant, colorful displays of light stretching across the night sky from New York to Washington state, Texas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. From Nevada to Massachusetts, Georgia, Alabama, Montana, Alaska, Wyoming, California, Louisiana, New Mexico, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Nebraska, Iowa, Idaho, South Dakota, and other states, people marveled at the beauty of the northern lights.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center had issued a severe geomagnetic storm watch for 11 and 12 November due to fast-moving coronal mass ejections hurled out by the sun. Shawn Dahl, a forecaster at the SWPC in Boulder, Colorado, warned that two or three anticipated CMEs had already reached Earth and "packed quite a punch," causing G4 severe level conditions.
However, forecasters now expect the third CME to arrive around midday on Wednesday, potentially leading to higher levels of geomagnetic activity. According to Marc Chenard, a meteorologist at the Weather Prediction Center, the northern lights could return again on Wednesday night across the country, although cloudy skies may obstruct views for those in parts of the west coast and north-east.
The Space Weather Prediction Center reported that G3 conditions were currently being observed, with a chance for higher levels of geomagnetic activity possible throughout the day.
A powerful geomagnetic storm swept across much of the United States on Tuesday and Wednesday, creating a spectacle that allowed people in dozens of states to witness the breathtaking display of the northern lights. The phenomenon, also known as the aurora borealis, is caused by charged particles from the sun colliding with gases in the Earth's upper atmosphere.
Photographs posted on social media showed vibrant, colorful displays of light stretching across the night sky from New York to Washington state, Texas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. From Nevada to Massachusetts, Georgia, Alabama, Montana, Alaska, Wyoming, California, Louisiana, New Mexico, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Nebraska, Iowa, Idaho, South Dakota, and other states, people marveled at the beauty of the northern lights.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center had issued a severe geomagnetic storm watch for 11 and 12 November due to fast-moving coronal mass ejections hurled out by the sun. Shawn Dahl, a forecaster at the SWPC in Boulder, Colorado, warned that two or three anticipated CMEs had already reached Earth and "packed quite a punch," causing G4 severe level conditions.
However, forecasters now expect the third CME to arrive around midday on Wednesday, potentially leading to higher levels of geomagnetic activity. According to Marc Chenard, a meteorologist at the Weather Prediction Center, the northern lights could return again on Wednesday night across the country, although cloudy skies may obstruct views for those in parts of the west coast and north-east.
The Space Weather Prediction Center reported that G3 conditions were currently being observed, with a chance for higher levels of geomagnetic activity possible throughout the day.
gotta ask, what's up with these space weather predictions? like, how accurate are they really? I mean, one minute it's gonna be a severe storm watch, and the next it's like, "yeah, we're good". 
how do they know when a coronal mass ejection is gonna hit? 
and what exactly is this geomagnetic stuff? sounds like some sci-fi movie nonsense to me. 
where are the actual sources for these claims? can't just take someone's word for it, you know? 
gotta dig deeper.
This geomagnetic storm was pretty epic, I mean who needs fancy sciency stuff to appreciate the beauty of the northern lights? It's like Mother Nature decided to put on a light show 
for us! I'm glad people got to witness it, especially those in states that aren't usually known for clear skies. It's amazing how much excitement a simple display of colored lights can bring out... I was scrolling through social media and saw some incredible pics from all over the country – it was like one big night sky party 
! Now we just have to wait and see if that third CME brings more action, but either way, it's always cool to see our planet do its thing 
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. I was in California and it was so vivid, like a rainbow in the sky! The colours just danced across the horizon, it was like nature's own light show 
. I felt so small yet connected to something bigger than me. Has anyone else seen this? Let's share our pics! 
and it was literally breathtaking! We're from the Midwest, so we don't get to see this stuff often. The colors were so vivid and it felt like we were witnessing something out of a sci-fi movie 
️. I do hope they get more clear skies tomorrow night though... would love to see it again! 
the colors are so vibrant & the movement is mesmerizing . i'm living in california & i was hoping to catch a glimpse but cloudy skies ruined my chances 
. anyway , i'm keeping an eye on the space weather prediction center for any updates 
. can't wait to see if the northern lights make another appearance tonight 
. i know some ppl were worried about cloudy skies but we had clear skies and it was PERFECT 
from nevada to florida, people are gonna be talking about this for ages 
but you know what would make it even more lit? if they could predict when exactly the northern lights will appear again 
. I mean, who needs clear skies when you can have aurora borealis, right? And what's with all the cloudy skies on the west coast and north-east? Just perfect for ruining the whole experience 
. And don't even get me started on the geomagnetic storms - just more proof that our planet is being ravaged by solar activity 
. And now we're hoping for more on Wednesday 
I mean can you imagine witnessing something so beautiful in the middle of the night, it's like the sky is on fire 
the colors are insane! has anyone else been lucky enough to see the northern lights yet?
makes sense now why we get this crazy light show 
here's a little diagram to help illustrate it 
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. And the best part is that it's not just happening in Alaska or Scandinavia, but all across the US 
i mean, i've seen pics and vids online before but nothin compares to seein it in person 
now i'm just hopin' cloudy skies dont ruin it for west coast peeps 