Latest news with #AuroraBorealis
Time Out
4 days ago
- Science
- Time Out
The Aurora Borealis could be seen in 14 U.S. states tonight—is yours one of them?
Our fascination with the Northern Lights is never-ending, perhaps because we all crave a deeper connection to nature. Seeing the sky do something so unusual and breathtaking reminds us that we are part of a universe whose mysteries we don't completely understand. So it's great news that tonight, folks in 14 U.S. states may be able to see the stunning Aurora Borealis IRL, according to Get yourself to a remote location without light interference, pour a glass of wine and lie back—the show will hopefully be spectacular. The Northern Lights will, of, course be visible from our most northern state Alaska, as is typically the case. But folks as far south as South Dakota may also be able to see them. A hole has opened up in the sun's atmosphere, which is causing heavy geomagnetic activity. What does that mean, exactly? Science moment brought to you by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center and summarized as best as possible by an English major: The sun gives off electrically charged particles that collide with nitrogen and oxygen in the earth's upper atmosphere. When enough of these collisions occur, nitrogen discharges a blue light, and oxygen emits a greenish-yellow or even red one. The other colors you see are from these lights blending. And that's the Aurora Borealis! Earlier this year, there were 17 states in America that had the chance of seeing the Northern Lights during a similar geomagnetic storm (sorry, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Nebraska: you fell off the list this time!) Tonight, you can increase your chances of seeing the Northern Lights by finding a north-facing vantage point in a dark space without light pollution. Try looking around 1 a.m. your local time. So which U.S. states can you expect or hope to see the big display tonight? They are: 1. Alaska 2. Minnesota 3. North Dakota 4. Montana 5. Maine 6. Michigan 7. Wisconsin 8. Vermont 9. New Hampshire 10. Washington 11. Oregon 12. Idaho 13. New York 14. South Dakota
Forbes
4 days ago
- Science
- Forbes
SKA Radio Array To Spot Habitable Exoearths Via Their Magnetic Auroras
Two people admiring the green light of Aurora Borealis standing on the wild Skagsanden beach, ... More Lofoten Islands, Norway Radio astronomy has long been unsung and underappreciated, largely because it's never been able to cough up the kind of jaw-dropping visual images that are routine with large optical telescopes. But that could all change when the 1-billion-euro Square Kilometre Array Observatory comes online in Western Australia and South Africa in 2027. The SKAO was primarily funded to unravel the mysteries of dark energy, the evolution of galaxies through cosmic time and to further constrain Einstein's theory of relativity. But at least one Netherlands-based radio astronomer is using that country's know-how in the low-frequency radio spectrum to look for emissions from far flung earthlike extrasolar planets. We really need all the sensitivity SKA-Low can get us as this will be a very faint signal of around a 100 MHz, Joe Callingham, Head of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Science Group at ASTRON, The Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, tells me in his office at the University of Amsterdam. That's basically the same frequency as the FM dial on your car radio. If you ever go hunting for auroras in Norway or Antarctica, you want the Sun to be pumping out radiation, preferably a coronal mass ejection that hits our atmosphere and causes those big, beautiful lights, Callingham tells me. But if you could turn your eyes into radio receivers, they'd also be incredibly bright in the low frequency spectrum, he says. Like a shield, Earth's geomagnetic field protects us from solar activity, so we really think having a geomagnetic field is super important for habitability, says Callingham. And without a geomagnetic field, even if astronomers find an earthlike planet in the habitable zone of a nearby red dwarf star, these M-type red dwarfs pump coronal mass ejections daily. So, most likely, you've got a barren rock sitting in a Goldilocks habitable zone, says Callingham. Because without a magnetic field a planet will lose its atmosphere, and its oceans will be boiled away, he says. So, we really think the magnetic field is vital piece of this puzzle, and radio is the only real way to detect and measure that, says Callingham. Remote Desert Location From a remote site in Western Australia, SKA-Low's antennas are divided into 512 stations, with 256 antennas per station, notes SKAO. From a central compact core measuring 1km across, with a maximum distance of 74 km between the two furthest stations, they note. How does it work? SKA-Low is a "mathematical" telescope that works by filtering out what is not desired from the observable sky, says the SKAO. Its antennas see the whole sky, and through data processing astronomers can "point" in different directions even though the antennas have no moving parts, SKAO notes. As for what the SKAO will bring to the data processing table? The big thing that's changed is professionalization of the software; we've hired software engineers to really help us because it's very computationally expensive radio astronomy, says Callingham. But Callingham and colleagues already have lots of experience in the low frequency regime since The Netherlands has built and has been operating their LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) since 2010. A Great Legacy Radio astronomy in The Netherlands has a very long tradition dating back to World War II and we've capitalized on that expertise, says Callingham. Without the algorithms we've developed here and the engineering skills we've built over time in The Netherlands, the SKA wouldn't be possible, he says. A Planet Hunter This radio method will also be a new way to discover exoplanets, says Callingham. M-type red dwarfs are the best spectral type to survey for these auroras since they host largest number of nearby planets (and have strong magnetic fields), he says. The Bottom Line? The SKA is going to revolutionize our understanding of the universe, largely because it's going to have a sensitivity and the resolution that's unparalleled by any other radio telescope that has ever been built, says Callingham. And I think it will find the first auroras on other planets outside of our solar system, he says.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Geomagnetic Storm Watch issued with Northern Lights possible from New York to Washington state
NEW YORK – While the ground may feel like it's on fire as a heat dome continues to scorch the U.S. this week, the sky could resemble dancing flames Wednesday night and early Thursday as charged particles from the Sun are barreling toward our planet, creating the chance to see the Northern Lights. Forecasters with NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) have been monitoring a feature on the Sun known as a coronal hole – areas on the surface of the Sun with cooler, less dense plasma. These dark areas on the Sun, as seen in satellite images, can produce space weather events known as coronal hole high-speed streams (CH HSS), which can trigger Northern Lights on Earth. Due to the recurrent, negative polarity CH HSS influence, NOAA space weather forecasts are predicting minor (G1) to moderate (G2) geomagnetic storming between Wednesday and Thursday, based on NOAA's five-level scale. A Geomagnetic Storm Watch is in place through Thursday. What Causes The Northern Lights? Under these conditions, the Aurora Borealis may be seen across the northern tier of the U.S. and the Upper Midwest, in areas as far south as New York to Wisconsin to Washington state. If you're within the Northern Lights viewing area on late Wednesday or early Thursday, a dark sky will help your chances of seeing the bright dancing lights in the sky. Move away from city lights or turn off artificial light sources outside and look north. Even if you can't see the lights with the naked eye, use your smartphone's night mode, and you might be surprised by what you see. During severe (G4) Geomagnetic Storms, the lights could be seen as far south as the Gulf article source: Geomagnetic Storm Watch issued with Northern Lights possible from New York to Washington state
NDTV
4 days ago
- Climate
- NDTV
Northern Lights To Delight Starwatchers In These 14 US States
A treat for stargazers in the United States, as the Northern Lights might be visible in at least 14 states on Wednesday night, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center (NOAA) predicted. The Northern Lights, known as the Aurora Borealis, are a breathtaking natural phenomenon in which the night sky gets illuminated with beautiful colours. Although NOAA's prediction doesn't confirm the sighting, there's still a chance for people to witness the Aurora Borealis in states from Washington to Maine. Here are the states where the Northern Lights might be visible: Alaska Washington Oregon Idaho Montana Wyoming South Dakota Iowa Wisconsin Michigan New York Vermont New Hampshire and Maine The phenomenon of Northern Lights occurs due to the solar wind when charged particles from the sun interact with the Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere. It also happens because of the energy transfer when the energy from the solar wind excites the atoms and molecules in the Earth's atmosphere, causing them to emit light. The Northern Lights can display a range of colours, including green, blue, red and purple. The colour depends on the energy of the particles and the altitude of the collision. The lights can appear as swirling curtains, rays, or coronas, often moving and dancing across the sky. As per the Space Weather Prediction Center, "The aurora is not visible during daylight hours. The aurora does not need to be directly overhead but can be observed from as much as 1000 km away when the aurora is bright and if conditions are right." Here are three tips to view the Northern Lights Find locations with minimal light pollution for the best views; dark spots are the best. Check forecasts for solar activity and geomagnetic storms, which can increase the likelihood of Northern Lights sightings. The Northern Lights are typically most active from midnight to 3:00 am. Mike Bettwy, operations chief at Space Weather Prediction Center, previously told Newsweek, "General tips include viewing late at night, away from city lights, and taking pictures with your iPhone or other technology since the aurora may be visible on those devices even though the human eye may not always detect it."
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Leaked Pentagon bombshell: US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites failed — will Trump fire Pete Hegseth?
Classified DIA Assessment Contradicts Donald Trump's Narrative Live Events White House Pushes Back Against Leaked Assessment Still Too Early for Full Assessment Some Officials Say US Strikes Were Meant to Delay, Not Destroy FAQs (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel A leaked Pentagon intelligence assessment has thrown cold water on the Trump administration's bold claims of success in its airstrikes on Iran's nuclear infrastructure and is now raising speculations about US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's future, as per a US president Donald Trump's and Hegseth's repeated statements that the US' June 21 strikes on Iran 'completely and totally obliterated' Iran's nuclear sites, an early assessment by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) suggests otherwise, as reported by CNN. According to seven individuals briefed on the findings who told CNN, the strikes failed to destroy Iran's core nuclear assets, including its stockpile of enriched uranium and the centrifuge, according to the to CNN's sources, DIA's analysis, which is based on a battle damage assessment conducted by US Central Command in the aftermath of the US strikes, the US was not able destroy the core components of the Iran's nuclear program and has mostly only set it back by months, as per the READ: US unleashes 30,000-pound bunker-busters on Iran — but scientists say Tehran's concrete may have won the day Two of the people familiar with the assessment told CNN that Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium was not destroyed, and one of the people also said the centrifuges are largely 'intact,' reported CNN. While, another CNN source told the outlet that the intelligence assessed enriched uranium was moved out of the sites prior to the US strikes, as reported by of the people told CNN, 'So the (DIA) assessment is that the US set them back maybe a few months, tops,' as quoted in the the White House acknowledged the existence of the assessment, they have emphasised that they disagreed with the report, as per House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNN that, 'This alleged assessment is flat-out wrong and was classified as 'top secret' but was still leaked to CNN by an anonymous, low-level loser in the intelligence community. The leaking of this alleged assessment is a clear attempt to demean President Trump, and discredit the brave fighter pilots who conducted a perfectly executed mission to obliterate Iran's nuclear program. Everyone knows what happens when you drop fourteen 30,000 pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration,' as quoted in the CNN READ: Aurora Borealis forecast: Northern Lights to light up skies in US this week - to be visible in these states today Even the US president, who was in the Netherlands to attend this week's NATO summit, immediately dismissed CNN's report on his social media site, Truth Social, as he wrote, 'One of the most successful military strikes in history,' adding, 'The nuclear sites in Iran are completely destroyed!,' as quoted in the who is also at the NATO summit along with Trump, said that the assessment was supposed to be 'a top secret report; it was preliminary; it was low confidence' and added that there were political motives behind leaking it and that an FBI investigation was underway to identify the leaker, as quoted by CNN in the CNN wrote in its report that, "It is still early for the US to have a comprehensive picture of the impact of the strikes, and none of the sources described how the DIA assessment compares to the view of other agencies in the intelligence community. The US is continuing to pick up intelligence, including from within Iran as they assess the damage."While, the Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, who is the chairman emeritus of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said, 'I've been briefed on this plan in the past, and it was never meant to completely destroy the nuclear facilities, but rather cause significant damage,' referring to the US military plans to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, and emphasised, 'But it was always known to be a temporary setback,' as quoted in the CNN According to a leaked Pentagon assessment, the strikes caused damage but didn't destroy key components like uranium stockpiles or centrifuges, as per a CNN above-ground infrastructure at key nuclear sites, while underground assets appear largely untouched.
