This Year, You Might See the Northern Lights

Even if you live at lower latitudes, you might get a chance to see the Northern Lights this summer as the sun enters its stormy season. Learn more on today's episode of Astro Minute!

What is Astro Minute?

Welcome to the Astro Minute! I'm Lauren Smyth, and with the help of astronomer and teacher Kelli Smyth, I'll be your tour guide as we explore the secrets of the night sky sixty seconds at a time.

Welcome to the Astro Minute, where we’re exploring the universe sixty seconds at a time. I’m Lauren Smyth, and today we’re exploring the northern lights.

The sun’s stormy season is upon us: the next peak of the eleven-year solar storm cycle is now predicted sometime between January and October of twenty-twenty-four. And more solar activity means more aurora borealis, or northern lights, even at lower latitudes. As the stormy sun blasts materials into space, they hit earth’s complex magnetic field, sending charged particles spiraling along the earth’s magnetic field lines toward the north and south magnetic poles. The particles then slam into the polar atmosphere, exciting oxygen and nitrogen and producing magnificent moving curtains of red, green, blue, and violet light. So check aurora forecasts at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, and keep your eyes open for these beautiful lights!

That’s your astro minute!