It looks like the sun is fixing on tossing some energy our way. A geomagnetic storm is brewing in the northern hemisphere. That means a good chance at spotting the aurora borealis, or "northern lights." This geomagnetic storm is forecasted to take place Wednesday (7/12) through Thursday (7/13).

What causes the nor(thern lights?

It is crazy to think about the science behind the earth's magnetic poles. Earth is basically one big molten chunk of iron and nickel. That molten metal creates reverse poles, which create the earth's electromagnetic field. It is our electromagnetic field that protects every living creature from radioactive particles in space. Think of it as what sci-fi movies call a "force field" or "shield."

According to Wikipedia

Auroras are the result of disturbances in the magnetosphere caused by solar wind. These disturbances are sometimes strong enough to alter the trajectories of charged particles in both solar wind and magnetospheric plasma. These particles, mainly electrons and protonsprecipitate into the upper atmosphere.

kristopher roller via unsplash.com
kristopher roller via unsplash.com
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So, an aurora is basically the light show that our electromagnetic field puts off when it is fighting off radioactive solar particles. These are measured in what is called a Kp index. On a scale of 0 to 9, the index measures how much geomagnetic activity will happen in the atmosphere.

What if there are too many clouds to see the lights?

We do have a forecast for partly cloudy skies Thursday night. Hopefully, they will thin out enough for us to catch a glimpse of the light show. The geomagnetic storm is forecasted to be strong.

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