The Northern Lights in New England?

A strong solar storm headed toward Earth could produce the Northern Lights in the U.S. and potentially disrupt communications this weekend. New Englanders might get a chance to see the Northern Lights on May 10th and 11th, if clouds stay away and the storm is as strong as researchers predict. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a rare geometric storm watch — the first in nearly 20 years — that scientists have deemed an "unusual event." In Massachusetts, the clouds may clear out enough for folks who live as far south as the Cape to see the aurora. The Northern Lights are generated by energized particles that come from the magnetosphere, Earth's magnetic bubble. Due to the exchange of energy, these particles stream down into the atmosphere, creating a dazzling light show called the aurora borealis. NOAA said the sun produced strong solar flares beginning Wednesday, May 15th, 2024, resulting in five outbursts of plasma capable of disrupting satellites in orbit and power grids here on Earth. Each eruption — known as a coronal mass ejection — can contain billions of tons of solar plasma. NOAA is calling this an unusual event, pointing out that the flares seem to be associated with a sunspot that’s 16 times the diameter of Earth. This latest storm could produce northern lights as far south in the U.S. as Alabama and Northern California, according to NOAA. The potential visibility of this natural phenomenon across a wide area of the U.S. has sparked interest and excitement among many photographers in the area!

Here are my favorites from an hour spent outside gazing at the incredible light show: