Stargazers eager for their next opportunity to witness the northern lights have a formidable ally: a dedicated cadre of space weather forecasters vigilantly observing the sun for the next major solar outburst.
Last month’s mesmerizing aurora, visible as far south as Florida, was an extraordinary event. Experts, however, predict even more spectacular displays in the coming years as the sun approaches the peak of its 11-year sunspot cycle.
In a fortified facility in Boulder, forecasters at the federal Space Weather Prediction Center are poised for the sun’s next move. This center, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, features immense screens showcasing the sun in various spectrums—from visible light to its potent magnetic fields and the ever-present solar flares erupting from its surface.
“We’re constantly trying to anticipate what will impact our little blue planet,” remarked senior forecaster Shawn Dahl.
Extra-potent sunspots, often coupled with the sun ejecting vast quantities of superheated plasma, not only trigger auroras but also threaten satellites, aircraft, GPS systems, and power grids.
While inhabitants near the poles—from Alaska, Iceland, and Finland to New Zealand and Australia—routinely witness the aurora during winter, last month’s spectacle was notable for its visibility in numerous locations unaccustomed to such phenomena, particularly in late spring. Experts maintain that usual viewing patterns will persist, yet the substantial sunspot increases the likelihood of another grand display soon gracing extensive parts of the United States.
Ordinary auroras are forecasted with mere hours of notice, but grand spectacles like last month’s result from solar explosions detected by forecasters days in advance of their atmospheric arrival.
Utilizing data from a network of sun-focused satellites, forecasters are scrutinizing the sunspot group designated as Region 3697, alongside solar flares and coronal mass ejections—colossal plasma eruptions with self-generated magnetic fields.
Appearing as a gray blemish on the sun’s surface, the magnitude of this sunspot cluster is astonishing: it spans an area 15 times larger than Earth. And remember, the sun itself is a staggering 93 million miles away.