Northern Lights Could Be Visible Across The US This Weekend: Here's Where To Look

The sun shot a cloud of magnetised plasma into space last week. Scientists now say part of it could slam into Earth, and the effects may be felt across the US this weekend.

Scientists now say part of it could slam into Earth, and the effects may be felt across the US this weekend.

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Key points generated by AI, verified by newsroom

• X1.1 solar flare caused radio blackouts across North America.
• CME sparked G2 geomagnetic storm watch for July 3.
• G2 storm could trigger aurora displays across northern US.

A strong solar flare erupted from a sunspot facing Earth on June 30, causing radio blackouts across parts of North America. The flare, classified as X1.1, came from sunspot region AR4479 and peaked at 4:50 p.m. EDT. The X-rays from the eruption reached Earth in just over eight minutes, triggering R3-level radio blackouts on the daylight side of the planet. High-frequency radio users in North America faced temporary signal issues during the event. 

Beyond the flare itself, the eruption also sent a large cloud of solar material into space, and part of it may be heading our way.

Could Geomagnetic Storm Be Coming Later This Week?

The eruption also produced a coronal mass ejection, which is essentially a massive cloud of magnetised solar plasma thrown out into space. Early readings suggested most of the material was moving northward, which would have reduced the risk to Earth. 

However, after further analysis, NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Centre issued a Moderate (G2) geomagnetic storm watch for July 3, indicating that at least part of the CME could land on Earth with a significant blow.

A G2-level storm can push the northern lights further south than usual. According to NOAA, auroras could become visible across some northern and upper Midwestern U.S. states, from New York to Idaho, provided skies are dark and clear.

What Are Solar Flares And How Do They Differ From CMEs?

Solar flares are sudden bursts of energy released when magnetic fields around sunspots become twisted and reconnect. They are ranked using five classes: A, B, C, M and X, with X-class flares being the most powerful.

CMEs behave a little differently. Unlike radiation from a solar flare, which travels at the speed of light, clouds of charged particles from a CME typically take one to three days to reach Earth. If they arrive in the right magnetic orientation, they can disturb Earth's magnetic field and trigger geomagnetic storm conditions.