July 10, 2023 |
Photo – Northern Lights – Courtesy alaska.org
A celestial light show known as “northern lights” will be visible from Wyoming and across the American west later this week.
The “solar maximum” peaks in 2025, but the northern lights are expected to be visible in parts of 17 states on Thursday night, July 13, if weather permits.
Scientists with NASA predict that the solar flares and plasma energy associated with sunspots will reach a 12-year peak in 2025. This week’s show is part of the buildup.
The earth’s magnetic field serves as an invisible shield that protects the planet from the solar winds. The shield will be disrupted this week by the strong solar activity, allowing earthlings to see the stunning auroras when the particle stream interacts with the gases in the planet’s magnetic field.
The charged electrons emitted by the sun emit light when they hit the earth’s magnetic field. Oxygen emits green and red light. Nitrogen turns blue and green.
The northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, occur more frequently as the sun reaches the maximum point in its 11-year cycle known as the solar maximum.
The northern lights are typically more frequent near the north pole. Wyoming may get in on the show this week, though, weather depending. According to the Space Weather Prediction Center, the best viewing times are from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. The moon will be in waning crescent-phase on Thursday, making the light show more visible to us if we’re lucky. Weather and cloud cover must also cooperate.
