A severe geomagnetic storm, caused by solar eruptions sending plasma towards Earth, has the potential to display the Northern Lights as far south as North Carolina and Tennessee.
The NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) issued an alert following the detection of an X 1.1 solar flare and a coronal hole high-speed stream.
Auroras, or Northern and Southern Lights, occur when solar particles interact with Earth’s atmosphere. Initially assessed at levels G1 or G2, the storm has intensified to a G4 category on the SWPC’s five-point scale, indicating severe space weather conditions.
— NOAA Space Weather (@NWSSWPC) March 24, 2024
According to Alaska’s Geophysical Institute, the aurora should peak tonight between 11pm to 2am (3-6 UTC) in the darkest part of the night’s sky.
Northern Lights lit up the North Carolina sky for the third time of 2023 on Nov. 5th after an exceptionally powerful CME from the sun blasted our magnetosphere, similar to what is expected to happen tonight.
One of the most epic shots you’ll ever see of the #northernlights and the #MilkyWay This was over Waynesville, NC last night. Thanks for the photo Ezekiel Coppersmith. #scwx #ncwx pic.twitter.com/t1lWFfE2Py
— Ed Piotrowski (@EdPiotrowski) November 6, 2023
If you want to get your own shots of the stunning aurora tonight, you’ll need a long-exposure camera and a very dark place where you have an unobstructed view toward the northern sky. The best place would be a remote mountain top along the blue ridge parkway with north-facing views.
You can find the dark spots in your area using the official light pollution map here.
Happy aurora hunting!