The Northern Lights May Make a Comeback This Week in the US—Here's How to See Them
The same sunspot that produced May's northern lights is back.
Noppawat Tom Charoensinphon / Getty Images
Stargazers may be in for a treat this month—changes in the sun's magnetic field will impact the chances for spotting the northern lights throughout June, The Weather Channel reports.
A solar flare from the same sunspot that produced nationwide sightings of the auroras on May 10 has rotated back towards Earth. As a result, astronomers believe that between June 4 to June 6, the sunspot will be in prime position to produce another solar storm.
According to the NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, the northern lights may become visible over some northern and upper midwest states from New York to Idaho. While it is uncertain whether the aurora borealis will make an appearance in those regions, a new moon on June 6 will provide optimal conditions for spotting the phenomenon.
Related: The Northern Lights May Be Visible Across the US This Weekend Due to a Severe Solar Storm
Solar flares are large explosions that heat to extremely high temperatures and release energy. They typically occur near sunspots, usually between two opposing magnetic fields. Plasma interacts with the magnetic field, sending it away from the sun in the form of a solar flare, which hits Earth as geomagnetic storms. If sunspots are active, more solar flares will occur, creating an increase in geomagnetic storm activity, meaning Earth will experience more northern lights, according to the National Weather Service.
This is exactly what occurred in May, when the NOAA issued a G4 (severe) geomagnetic storm warning, the first time the agency has done so since 2005. The storm resulted in spectacular sightings of the northern lights across the country. Look into the night sky this week and you may see something just as showstopping.
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