The Northern Lights Are Predicted to be Visible Across the US and UK Tonight

A geomagnetic storm is set to send the Northern Lights rippling through the darkness tonight, in an event so active that the aurora is predicted to be likely to be seen much further south than Greenland and Iceland or Alaska.

Aurora watchers can expect to see flashes of green as the sky darkens on December 10 and again on December 11.

These bands of bright light may be visible in the following US locations, depending on ExcitingNorthern Idaho, Northern Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Northern Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, plus all of Alaska and Canada.

Known as the ‘Merry Dancers’ in Scotland, the Northern Lights can also be seen in the UK, as far south as the English Midlands.

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The intensity of the Northern Lights this week is due, according to meteorologists, to a solar flare that recently sent charged particles towards our planet in large quantities, and to the strong solar wind coming from the geomagnetic storm.

Geomagnetic Storm Watch effective December 9-11, 2020, due to anticipated CME effects. CME occurred on December 7 and was associated with a C7 outbreak in Region 2790. For the full story, visit https://t.co/mzq8JTer8q @NWS pic.twitter.com/EKOKtiyz3e

– NOAA Space Weather (@NWSSWPC) December 8, 2020

Aurora isn’t the only exciting dark-sky event on the near horizon. Other heavenly gifts for December 2020 include the most active meteor shower of the year, the Geminids, to peak on the nights of December 13 and 14.

Then there is the Conjunction ‘Christmas star’–In which Jupiter and Saturn will appear closer to each other than they have been in 800 years– at the winter solstice.

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