GREENSBORO, N.C. — Thursday night the Northern Lights were visible in the Piedmont-Triad and put on a beautiful display!
The Northern Lights can be seen when energy from the sun moves toward Earth and interacts with our magnetic field. The result is the bright color you may see in pictures. Scientists tracked these bursts of energy from the such, known as Coronal Mass Ejections, and spotted a big one arriving Thursday evening -- what many of you saw and posted online! The forecast was also great with clear skies also expected in the nights ahead.
Can you spot them again tonight?
Unfortunately, they are not likely to be visible once again this evening in the Carolinas. However, folks up north will still have a chance due to a higher planetary K index (Kp) remaining in place, which is a measurement of geomagnetic activity.
Here's tonight's forecast for the Northern Lights:
The forecast for Friday night from Space Weather experts at NOAA show the Northern Lights being viewable across northernmost United States, with low chances for the Mid-Atlantic.
NOAA rates these solar storms on what's known as a "Kp scale" from 0-9. The higher the Kp index means the lights will be brighter and move further from the poles. This past May, the scale was at a 9! This made for beautiful photos in NC. Last night was just above an 8 on the scale, which still was capturable on cameras and phones. Today, the Kp index is between a 4-5 which will likely not be give even the dark parts of the Piedmont a chance.
This should come as no surprise, but it's hard to see the Northern Lights in the South. The two chances we've had this year are extraordinary exceptions!
Can you predict them?
The Northern Lights are even harder to predict than weather. According to NOAA, it's possible to predict geomagnetic activity and aurora a day or so in advance by detecting solar coronal holes in the sun and Coronal Mass Ejections and their departure from the sun / possible impact on Earth. It's easier to forecast the aurora within a short time frame from measuring solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field upstream of the Earth. While NC has has a few opportunities to see them this year, they are still very rare. Still, they do happen from time to time.
We'll keep you posted if any more chances arise!