The Northern Lights will again be visible to the the Northern Parts of the US on November 28-29th 2024. In the wake of natures upcoming fireworks, I thought it would be fun to go over what it is exactly in our atmosphere that produced these beautiful colors!
Auroras or the Northern Lights are caused when energized particles are ejected from the sun and smash into the Earth. The Earths atmosphere then redirects these particles towards the north and south poles. These electrically charged molecules then interact with electrons and other elements in our atmosphere creating different colored light much like neon lights on storefronts lights do.
Green Auroras– These are the most common color and are the brightest. The green color is caused by oxygen atoms at mid-range altitudes of about 60-155 miles above earth.
Red Auroras– These are the result of high altitude oxygen atoms. Starting at about 190+ miles above Earth these oxygen molecules emit red light when ionized by these solar particles. Red auroras are more rare and only occur with intense solar activities.
Purple Auroras– Occur at approximately 60 miles above Earth where the solar particles mix with Nitrogen particles producing bright, vivid purple colors.
Blue Auroras– Occur at altitude levels below 60 miles. Lower levels of our atmosphere are more densely packed with Nitrogen molecules and at lower altitudes the color emitted becomes a blue hue.
Yellow and Pink Auroras– Extremely rare and are only visible during periods of extreme solar activity. Pink and Yellow hues are the combination of red, green and blue aurora visible wave lengths mixing together.
During the late afternoon through early morning of November 28-29th 2024- the KP rating is saying aurora effects above 5. The KP is a measurement of the strength of the incoming magnetic storm. If you are lucky enough to be located within the Aurora viewing band and have clear skies, the aurora will be visible to the naked eye. It looks like best viewing will be approximately 10pm on Black Friday for the Midwest portion of the US where KP levels may reach almost 6. Levels of 5.5 and above almost always produce beautiful red and pink hues. Cross your fingers, hope for clear skies. Based on solar winds and other variables, the Auroras could be present as early as the 27th or be delayed by a day as well. Always make sure you continually are checking each day leading up to an event and during the listed days to make sure you don’t miss anything. Happy Hunting!!
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