Everyone needs to turn their attention to the stars Monday night through the first week of August as we’re in for potential back-to-back solar wonders.
A fairly rare G3-sized geomagnetic storm is forecast over the next 24 hours, potentially bringing the Northern Lights to the U.S. throughout Tuesday and Wednesday nights depending on its strength, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center. The massive ball of solar material, known as a “cannibal” coronal mass ejection (CME), is directed at Earth but may not be as magic as the G5 storm we saw back in May, Forbes noted.
The three day forecast suggests we’ll have the strongest storm Tuesday while Monday and Wednesday will bring G2 conditions, which rank around a (moderate) and G1 (minor).
WENDOVER, UTAH – MAY 10: A geomagnetic storm lights up the night sky above the Bonneville Salt Flats on May 10, 2024 in Wendover, Utah. Places as far south as Alabama and parts of Northern California were expected to see the aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights from a powerful geomagnetic storm that reached Earth. (Photo by Blake Benard/Getty Images)
The third most-powerful solar flare ever observed in X-ray wavelengths erupted from Sunspot 486 early October 28, 2003, at approximately 6 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. A coronal mass ejection (CME) directed almost straight at Earth preceded the flare, sending electrically charged gas toward our planet, say NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) scientist. The flare sent X-rays traveling at the speed of light toward Earth. The X-rays caused a radio storm in the ionosphere during the morning and early afternoon of October 28, 2003, according to NOAA’s Space Environment Center (SEC). The CME will not arrive at Earth until approximately noon Wednesday October 29, 2003. (Photo by NASA/WireImage) *** Local Caption ***
LONE PINE, CALIFORNIA – MAY 12: Pink colors of the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, make a rare appearance over Owens Valley, as seen from near the Alabama Hills on May 12, 2024 outside of Lone Pine, California. It is the second night that the intense solar storm has produced Northern Lights visible as far south as California. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
Along with this potentially super freaking cool solar spectacular, two meteor showers are set to peak the week of July 29, according to the American Meteor Society (AMS). (RELATED: If You Thought The Eclipse Was Cool, Get Ready For What’s Next)
The Southern Delta Aquariids and Alpha Capricornids are expected to peak right around the same time throughout Monday night and early Tuesday. We might be able to see as many as 25 meteors per hour, CNN noted.
BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK, TEXAS- MARCH 15: The Milky Way appears in the night sky at the U.S.-Mexico border on March 15, 2024 in Big Bend National Park, Texas. Located in the Chihuahuan Desert in West Texas, the park is largest, most remote and has the darkest sky in the contiguous United States, making it easier to view the stars on clear nights. Visited by some 370,000 tourists annually, it is often considered one of the most beautiful stretches of the U.S. southwestern border with Mexico. The border between the two nations stretches nearly 2,000 miles, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean and is marked by fences, deserts, mountains and the Rio Grande, which runs the entire length of Texas. The politics and controversies surrounding border and immigration issues have become dominant themes in the U.S. presidential election campaign. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
TOPSHOT – A long exposure picture taken early on August 28, 2022, shows a view of the Milky Way galaxy in the sky above a derelict van in the town of Bcahrre in the mountains of Lebanon, north of the capital Beirut. (Photo by Ibrahim CHALHOUB / AFP) (Photo by IBRAHIM CHALHOUB/AFP via Getty Images)
Alpha Capricornids are known for hurling giant fireballs through the skies at the slightly slower rate of around five per hour. We had one fly over our house earlier in July, and it was probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in the sky. (RELATED: Incredible Video Shows Aurora Next To A ‘Lightning-Filled Supercell’)
I genuinely believe all humans would be happier if we were able to see the stars at night. In most towns, cities and even villages throughout the developed world, only a handful of our celestial neighbors shine through. Surely if we could see more of what’s going on up there, we’d have a greater sense of wonder, and we’d realize how small we (and most of our ideas) really are.
