A pair of eruptions seen on the sun on Tuesday (May 9) might lead to a display of the northern lights for parts of the northern and central United States tonight.
Late Tuesday, the satellite known as the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, or SOHO, detected a significant coronal mass ejection (CME) which likely was spawned by the double flare outburst that afternoon. The associated subatomic material appears to be headed directly toward Earth and, as a result, the Space Weather Prediction Center at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued a geomagnetic storm watch (opens in new tab) for a possible G3 event today (May 11).
Such a geomagnetic storm might allow auroras to be visible as far south as the border of Oregon and northern California, Denver, Colorado and the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
For much of this past week, the sun has been behaving in a highly disturbing manner. Since May 5, a sunspot cataloged as AR3296 has been slowly working its way across the disk of the sun and in the process has hurled no fewer than nine magnetically charged “M” class solar flares toward Earth. These flares have caused frequent disruptions or even blackouts in shortwave radio communications throughout the world. Compass needles have danced back and forth, while utility companies have braced for stray surges of current that could even knock out their power lines.
But on Tuesday (May 9), within a time span of less than two hours, two significant solar flares erupted from sunspot AR3296. Great streams of subatomic particles shot out from these solar disturbances at terrific speeds of 2.2 million mph (1.3 million km/h). When these particles encounter Earth’s magnetic field, some of them may be accelerated and channeled down to areas around the North and South Poles.
A solar flare on May 9 seen by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. (Image credit: NASA/SDO)
Magnetic storm watch now in effect
Predicting space weather events, like Earth-based weather, has its uncertainties. The expected magnetic storm could be stronger or weaker than forecast. And its arrival time is also highly uncertain; some computer models suggested that it would happen earlier this morning, but as of this writing, we are still waiting for the subatomic material spewed from Tuesday’s double flare event to reach Earth.
Expectations are that this electrified material will reach Earth sometime Thursday afternoon (May 11), ultimately colliding with molecules of oxygen and nitrogen, as well as atoms of the rarefied gases of the upper atmosphere. These atoms are temporarily stripped of some of their electrons by the collision or near collision. The atoms absorb energy in the process. Within a millionth of a second the atoms regain their lost electrons and re-emit this energy in the form of light of various colors in much the same physical process that light is emitted from a neon sign.
We call such a display in the night sky the aurora borealis, more popularly known as the northern lights.
When and where to look
Typically, visibility of the aurora is usually confined to Alaska, northern Canada and Iceland, where displays are visible in various forms as many as 200 or more nights per year. But sometimes when a particularly potent disturbance erupts on the sun, the visibility zone for seeing the lights can be pushed much farther south.
Skywatchers who hope to catch a glimpse of the northern lights should make a concerted effort to go to a location well away from bright city lights and check the northern skies as soon as it gets sufficiently dark and then make periodic checks of the sky at regular intervals. Auroral activity can be dormant, then suddenly flare up at moment’s notice. The most common form appears low to the northern horizon and is called a homogeneous arc. If activity is increasing, the arc may appear to pulsate with rays of light emerging and ascending into the sky. Other forms take the appearance of spots or patches of light or flames.
As for colors, green and white are the most commonly seen, though blue and red auroras have also been noticed as well.
Smoke could hinder viewing
RELATED STORIES:
One handicap which could seriously hinder viewers over the northern tier and northeast U.S. is the presence of airborne smoke emanating from wildfire activity over western Canada. Upper-level winds have been blowing this smoke in an east-southeast direction, creating a distinct haziness to the sky. This haze has been producing deep red-colored sunrises and sunsets, but has also been dimming or even squelching completely, views of faint stars at night.
For best views of a potential auroral display, clear, transparent skies are desired. But the smoky skies currently affecting much of southern Canada and the northern U.S. could serve to either mute or completely obscure tonight’s possible display of polar lights.
Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York’s Hayden Planetarium (opens in new tab). He writes about astronomy for Natural History magazine (opens in new tab), the Farmers’ Almanac (opens in new tab) and other publications. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom (opens in new tab) and on Facebook (opens in new tab).
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The body of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei — who died after being set on fire by her partner in Kenya — was received Friday by family and anti-femicide crusaders, ahead of her burial a day later.
Cheptegei’s family met with dozens of activists Friday who had marched to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital’s morgue in the western city of Eldoret while chanting anti-femicide slogans.
She is the fourth female athlete to have been killed by her partner in Kenya in yet another case of gender-based violence in recent years.
Viola Cheptoo, the founder of Tirop Angels – an organization that was formed in honor of athlete Agnes Tirop, who was stabbed to death in 2021, said stakeholders need to ensure this is the last death of an athlete due to gender-based violence.
“We are here to say that enough is enough, we are tired of burying our sisters due to GBV,” she said.
It was a somber mood at the morgue as athletes and family members viewed Cheptegei’s body which sustained 80% of burns after she was doused with gasoline by her partner Dickson Ndiema. Ndiema sustained 30% burns on his body and later succumbed.
Ndiema and Cheptegei were said to have quarreled over a piece of land that the athlete bought in Kenya, according to a report filed by the local chief.
Cheptegei competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics less than a month before the attack. She finished in 44th place.
Cheptegei’s father, Joseph, said that the body will make a brief stop at their home in the Endebess area before proceeding to Bukwo in eastern Uganda for a night vigil and burial on Saturday.
“We are in the final part of giving my daughter the last respect,” a visibly distraught Joseph said.
He told reporters last week that Ndiema was stalking and threatening Cheptegei and the family had informed police.
Four in 10 women or an estimated 41% of dating or married Kenyan women have experienced physical or sexual violence perpetrated by their current or most recent partner, according to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rare Bronze-Era jar accidentally smashed by a 4-year-old visiting a museum was back on display Wednesday after restoration experts were able to carefully piece the artifact back together.
Last month, a family from northern Israel was visiting the museum when their youngest son tipped over the jar, which smashed into pieces.
Alex Geller, the boy’s father, said his son — the youngest of three — is exceptionally curious, and that the moment he heard the crash, “please let that not be my child” was the first thought that raced through his head.
The jar has been on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa for 35 years. It was one of the only containers of its size and from that period still complete when it was discovered.
The Bronze Age jar is one of many artifacts exhibited out in the open, part of the Hecht Museum’s vision of letting visitors explore history without glass barriers, said Inbal Rivlin, the director of the museum, which is associated with Haifa University in northern Israel.
It was likely used to hold wine or oil, and dates back to between 2200 and 1500 B.C.
Rivlin and the museum decided to turn the moment, which captured international attention, into a teaching moment, inviting the Geller family back for a special visit and hands-on activity to illustrate the restoration process.
Rivlin added that the incident provided a welcome distraction from the ongoing war in Gaza. “Well, he’s just a kid. So I think that somehow it touches the heart of the people in Israel and around the world,“ said Rivlin.
Roee Shafir, a restoration expert at the museum, said the repairs would be fairly simple, as the pieces were from a single, complete jar. Archaeologists often face the more daunting task of sifting through piles of shards from multiple objects and trying to piece them together.
Experts used 3D technology, hi-resolution videos, and special glue to painstakingly reconstruct the large jar.
Less than two weeks after it broke, the jar went back on display at the museum. The gluing process left small hairline cracks, and a few pieces are missing, but the jar’s impressive size remains.
The only noticeable difference in the exhibit was a new sign reading “please don’t touch.”
VICTORIA – The British Columbia government is partnering with a bear welfare group to reduce the number of bears being euthanized in the province.
Nicholas Scapillati, executive director of Grizzly Bear Foundation, said Monday that it comes after months-long discussions with the province on how to protect bears, with the goal to give the animals a “better and second chance at life in the wild.”
Scapillati said what’s exciting about the project is that the government is open to working with outside experts and the public.
“So, they’ll be working through Indigenous knowledge and scientific understanding, bringing in the latest techniques and training expertise from leading experts,” he said in an interview.
B.C. government data show conservation officers destroyed 603 black bears and 23 grizzly bears in 2023, while 154 black bears were killed by officers in the first six months of this year.
Scapillati said the group will publish a report with recommendations by next spring, while an independent oversight committee will be set up to review all bear encounters with conservation officers to provide advice to the government.
Environment Minister George Heyman said in a statement that they are looking for new ways to ensure conservation officers “have the trust of the communities they serve,” and the panel will make recommendations to enhance officer training and improve policies.
Lesley Fox, with the wildlife protection group The Fur-Bearers, said they’ve been calling for such a committee for decades.
“This move demonstrates the government is listening,” said Fox. “I suspect, because of the impending election, their listening skills are potentially a little sharper than they normally are.”
Fox said the partnership came from “a place of long frustration” as provincial conservation officers kill more than 500 black bears every year on average, and the public is “no longer tolerating this kind of approach.”
“I think that the conservation officer service and the B.C. government are aware they need to change, and certainly the public has been asking for it,” said Fox.
Fox said there’s a lot of optimism about the new partnership, but, as with any government, there will likely be a lot of red tape to get through.
“I think speed is going to be important, whether or not the committee has the ability to make change and make change relatively quickly without having to study an issue to death, ” said Fox.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2024.
