Sure it's the middle of winter.... but for hardy skywatchers tonight (Jan. 19-20) might be a banner night to spot the aurora borealis across a huge chunk of the country.
A geomagnetic storm expected to hit the Northern Hemisphere overnight will increase the possibility of the aurora borealis being visible "over much of the northern half of the country and as far south as Alabama to northern California," according to the Space Weather Prediction Center.
A geomagnetic storm is the result of a coronal mass ejection (CME), which is an eruption of solar material and magnetic fields from the sun. When a CME arrives at Earth, a geomagnetic storm can result. Watches at this level are "very rare," the Space Weather Prediction Center said.
The aurora borealis is only expected to be widely visible in the early morning hours of Tuesday, Jan. 20. Geomagnetic activity is expected to return to normal levels by Tuesday night.
A G4 "severe" geomagnetic storm watch was issued by the Space Weather Prediction Center on Jan. 19. This means that in addition to creating the aurora, the storm could impact power systems, spacecraft operations and satellite and radio navigation.
