While early risers and night owls in central Pennsylvania caught a glimpse of the Northern Lights earlier this week, a major geomagnetic storm could make the aurora visible to even more people in the Delaware Valley between sunset Thursday and early Friday morning.
The Northern Lights are visible when a solar flare spews large amounts of magnetized plasma, known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), into space. When these CMEs are aimed at Earth, they can create a geomagnetic stormwhich, according to NASA, causes a major disturbance in our magnetic field. These storms produce the Northern Lights, but can also cause power outages and sometimes radio interference.
CBS News Philadelphia
On Wednesday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a G4 severe geomagnetic storm warning for October 10-11. According to NOAA, a fast CME erupted from the sun on Tuesday night and could hit Earth “from morning to afternoon” on Thursday, October 10.
Will the Northern Lights be visible around Philadelphia?
Yes, Philadelphia is within the viewing line and the NEXT Weather Team is predicting clear skies. You may remember that last May we had a cloudy day when an extreme geomagnetic storm lit up the sky for the most spectacular show since the 1960s.
In the United States, the lights could be seen from the Canadian border to the Mexican border. We had no luck that evening, but this will be a second chance for the Philadelphia area to see the heavenly spectacle.
So grab a chair, blanket and thick coat. It will be chilly, but worth it if the Northern Lights do indeed appear. You need to get away from the city lights and look north at the horizon for any lights. They should be visible to the naked eye, but bring your cell phone as the camera captures even more vivid images.
CBS News Philadelphia
CBS News Philadelphia
We are currently at the peak of solar cycle 25. This is one of the more active solar cycles on record and will begin to wane in 2025. Solar cycles usually last 10-12 years.
