A recent coronal mass ejection means there’s a chance to catch the northern lights sometime this weekend.
The National Weather Service spotted the mass ejection on Friday and said it was expected to reach Earth either late Sunday night or early Monday.
Aurora Update…Geomagnetic storm conditions have begun. Latest forecast from @NWSSWPC best viewing after sunset to ~2 am, clouds permitting pic.twitter.com/07vQg9rnEN
— NWS Eastern Region (@NWSEastern) July 16, 2017
The northern lights are the result of electrons colliding with Earth’s atmosphere. Electrons become excited as they transfer energy to the atmosphere and when they relax into lower energy states, the energy is released as light.
Coronal mass ejections like the one observed Friday cause electromagnetic storms and exceptionally colorful auroras.
A look at last night’s coronal mass ejection that is expected to reach earth late Sunday/early Monday. More info at https://t.co/MeWAEZwVXk pic.twitter.com/nddAo1nBtw
— National Weather Service (@NWS) July 14, 2017
Sunday morning, the National Weather Service tweeted that the best time for aurora watching would be around 2 a.m. Monday, providing the weather remains clear.
They also included a map predicting the aurora’s reach. The aurora could be visible as far south as New York.