Last night, residents all over the Tri-State area rushed out of their homes, hoping to get a chance to experience the pure beauty of the aurora borealis, commonly known as the “Northern Lights.”
The rare phenomenon had people in awe, as the sky quietly turned from a cool, fall dusk, to a mixture of sparkling lights, stretching across and lighting up the night sky in a glowy haze. The aurora borealis is the aftermath of the release of a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME). This is when pockets of plasma and intense magnetic fields bubble up and are emitted from the Sun, sending it flying through our solar system, creating the illuminated lights that we know as the Northern Lights. Experts believe last night’s rare occurrence all stems from the powerful geomagnetic storm we are currently in. The storm is ranked a G4 on the power scale at the moment, being one below the highest rank, a G5. However, this does not mean it will have much of an effect on Earth besides some possible disruptions in communication satellites.
Experts say the lights may not be visible again, although, they advise you to look out for two other big solar events happening this month:
- Super Moon-October 17th
- Asteroid Showers-October 20th-21st
