Current:Home > NewsSolar flares may cause faint auroras across top of Northern Hemisphere-InfoLens
Solar flares may cause faint auroras across top of Northern Hemisphere
View Date:2024-12-23 11:25:58
NEW YORK (AP) — Solar storms may cause faint northern lights across fringes of the northern United States over the weekend as forecasters monitor for possible disruptions to power and communications.
The sun’s magnetic field is currently at the peak of its 11-year cycle, making solar storms and northern lights more frequent. The sun shot out two strong flares this week, including one Thursday that was the biggest since 2017.
Pale auroras may be visible as far south as South Dakota, Iowa and New York — but the storms could still intensify or weaken over the weekend.
“There’s still a fair amount of uncertainty,” Erica Grow Cei, spokesperson for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said Friday.
Unusually strong solar storms in May produced jaw-dropping aurora displays across the Northern Hemisphere. This week’s storms featured fewer ejections of the high energy plasma that can drive a light show, according to NOAA.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
veryGood! (978)
Related
- Inspector general finds no fault in Park Police shooting of Virginia man in 2017
- 2 pollsters killed, 1 kidnapped in Mexico; cartel message reportedly left with victims
- Reprieve for New Orleans as salt water creeping up the Mississippi River slows its march inland
- We need to talk about the macro effect of microaggressions on women at work
- NFL Week 11 picks straight up and against spread: Will Bills hand Chiefs first loss of season?
- Simone Biles pushes U.S. team to make gymnastics history, then makes some of her own
- A mobile clinic parked at a Dollar General? It says a lot about rural health care
- This week on Sunday Morning (October 8)
- Michigan soldier’s daughter finally took a long look at his 250 WWII letters
- Court dismisses $224 million verdict against Johnson & Johnson in talcum power lawsuit
Ranking
- Utah AD Mark Harlan rips officials following loss to BYU, claims game was 'stolen from us'
- Geri Halliwell-Horner leans into 'smart and brilliant' Anne Boleyn character in novel
- Pat Fitzgerald sues Northwestern after firing in wake of hazing probe
- Judge denies Sidney Powell's motion to dismiss her Georgia election interference case
- How to Build Your Target Fall Capsule Wardrobe: Budget-Friendly Must-Haves for Effortless Style
- Dozens killed in Russian missile strike on village in eastern Ukraine, officials say
- Father weeps as 3 charged with murder in his toddler’s fentanyl death at NYC day care
- Bangladesh gets first uranium shipment from Russia for its Moscow-built nuclear power plant
Recommendation
-
4 arrested in California car insurance scam: 'Clearly a human in a bear suit'
-
Billboard Latin Music Awards 2023: See Every Star Arrive on the Red Carpet
-
McDonald's and Wendy's false burger advertising lawsuits tossed
-
US fighter jet shoots down armed Turkish drone over Syria
-
It's cozy gaming season! Video game updates you may have missed, including Stardew Valley
-
Man allegedly tries to abduct University of Virginia student: Police
-
Teen arrested in fatal stabbing of beloved Brooklyn poet and activist Ryan Carson
-
The McRib returns: Here are the ingredients that make up the iconic sandwich