Good chance for northern lights tonight June 16-17

A moderate G2 geomagnetic storm is in progress as I write this. The Kp index, a good indicator of magnetic activity and potential auroras, soared to level 6 around 7 p.m. CDT today June 16. High speed streams of material … Continue reading →

The aurora often starts as a pale green arc spanning the northern sky about 10-15 degrees high. Photo: Bob King
A moderate G2 geomagnetic storm is in progress as I write this. The Kp index, a good indicator of magnetic activity and potential auroras, soared to level 6 around 7 p.m. CDT today June 16. High speed streams of material released by flares in the large sunspot group 1504 several days ago have finally come home to roost. A G2 level storm means that auroras could penetrate as far south as New York and Idaho; satellites could also be affected.
A coronal mass ejection (blast of solar electrons and protons) sparked by sunspot group 1504 on June 13 plus another flare on the 14th are energizing Earth’s magnetic field tonight. Photo by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory. Credit: NASA/ESA
Looks like tonight will be a good one to keep a lookout for auroral activity across the ...