It appears our best chances for seeing the northern lights are fading, and the regional weather forecast isn’t helping.
The Space Weather Prediction Center says geomagnetic storm activity, the reason behind the aurora borealis, is waning Monday into early Tuesday. There will be periods of stronger geomagnetic storm conditions before things get relatively closer to normal and aurora might be seen at middle and higher latitudes during those times.
Sunday night saw little to no opportunity to see any aurora due to clouds and occasional rain, while Saturday night’s aurora was very subtle aside from about a 30-minute window, where there was an impressive viewing opportunity. Friday night, though, gave the KVOE listening area a show it hasn’t seen at least since Halloween 2003, according to Emporia State University Peterson Planetarium Director Mark Brown.
While beautiful, the geomagnetic storms behind the aurora can be extremely damaging to technological equipment like satellite navigation, GPS systems and communications through high-frequency (HF), very high frequency (VHF) or ultra-high frequency (UHF) channels. The geomagnetic activity prompted the Southwest Power Pool to issue what it calls a Conservative Operations Advisory, which simply raises awareness of possible threats to grid reliability. The advisory ended at midnight.
Geomagnetic storm activity can also be hazardous to power grids and spacecraft. Brown also says astronauts need to be in shelter during these high-level geomagnetic storms and airplanes try to avoid the north and south poles because of the radiation’s potential impact.
Local utility companies — Evergy and 4 Rivers Electric — both spoke with KVOE News Monday and stated they had no issues as a result of the geomagnetic activity over the weekend. 4 Rivers General Manager Dennis Svanes stated the activity was a “non-issue.”
KVOE News also reached out to ValuNet Fiber which also reported no issues or need for “preparations” in advance of the geomagnetic activity.
Rain is expected across the KVOE listening area Monday into early Tuesday.
If you have photos, message the Bluestem Farm and Ranch text line at 620-342-5863. If you haven’t already sent aurora photos, please specify when you took them.
1 am Sunday: Saturday night aurora more subtle than Friday night — with exceptions
After a brilliant rendition of the northern lights Friday night into Saturday, the repeat performance Saturday was largely more subdued.
There were some exceptions, but by and large the aurora was much more subtle despite high geomagnetic activity coming off the sun through Saturday. Emporia State Peterson Planetarium Director Mark Brown says the interplanetary magnetic field was too far north, aside from a brief period shortly before midnight.
More high-intensity solar flares are possible Sunday into Monday, and perhaps also Tuesday, which would normally mean at least a decent chance for more rounds of the northern lights. However, cloud cover is likely and storms are possible both Sunday night and again Monday night.
11:30 am Saturday: Miss Friday night’s aurora appearance? Opportunities persist Saturday night, Sunday night
It’s quite likely area residents saw their first aurora borealis in over 20 years Friday night, and there are more chances at least through the weekend.
Emporia State University Peterson Planetarium Director Mark Brown tells KVOE News there is a chance to see the aurora Saturday night and again possibly Sunday night.
The reason behind the expanded aurora is a large sunspot, which is now releasing a large amount of superheated gases or plasma — also known as coronal mass ejections — at extremely high speeds of a million miles an hour or more. Much like the Storm Prediction Center does for severe thunderstorms, the Space Weather Prediction Center has a five-point scale for potential severe activity — and Friday’s ejection produced a G5 or top-level alert.
While beautiful, the geomagnetic storms behind the aurora can be extremely damaging to technological equipment like satellite navigation, GPS systems and communications through high frequency (HF), very high frequency (VHF) or ultra-high frequency (UHF) channels. It can also be hazardous to power grids, spacecraft and people.
Brown says this has become a unique teaching opportunity for him and fellow staffers at Emporia State University.
If you want to take photos of the aurora on your cell phone, Brown says you need to use night settings and then either hold your phone steadily or brace it against something solid for up to 10 seconds per photo. If you have photos or video of the aurora borealis from Friday night, message the Bluestem Farm and Ranch text line at 620-342-5863.
6 am Saturday: A stunning sight — aurora borealis makes rare appearance
Area residents got a chance to see something they possibly have never seen before, except for pictures and video.
The aurora borealis, or northern lights, were in full effect Friday night into early Saturday. There were reports of visible aurora as far south as Florida.
The aurora is one of the visual signs of geomagnetic storm activity on the sun, and the Space Weather Prediction Center had issued a G5 alert for severe storm conditions Friday. The Center says this is one of three severe geomagnetic storms since 2019, and the last G5 or extreme event was back in October 2003.
While an appearance of the aurora is pretty, these geomagnetic storms have several negative impacts to things like power grids, satellite navigation, GPS systems spacecraft and communications through high frequency (HF), very high frequency (VHF) or ultra-high frequency (UHF) channels.
Another strong solar flare has been observed, and there is a chance additional flares could be noted through the weekend. The extent of the aurora, typically seen across the northern tier of US states and Canada, could well be as far south as Alabama.
If you have photos or video of the aurora borealis from Friday night, message the Bluestem Farm and Ranch text line at 620-342-5863.
Photos by KVOE listeners from Friday night’s activity
