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Travel + Leisure
06-07-2025
- Travel + Leisure
The Southern Lights Are Just as Magical as the Northern Lights—and Now's the Best Time to Catch Them
While the northern lights often steal the spotlight, their southern counterpart—aurora australis—offers an equally dazzling display of its own. It paints the sky green, violet, red, but catching a glimpse requires both good luck and latitude. Like the northern lights, the southern lights are born from solar particles colliding with the Earth's magnetic field, like during a solar storm. But unlike the northern lights, which are visible from many places in the Northern Hemisphere, the southern lights are more elusive and notoriously more difficult to see. That's largely because there's so little land near the South Pole to view it from, leaving only a handful of remote spots on Earth to experience this polar light show. To catch the southern lights, you'll need to be positioned at high southern latitudes that are close to the magnetic South Pole. And for the best view of the lights, you'll want to be in a place with low humidity and long, dark nights (factors that also make for great stargazing). Places like Antarctica, Tasmania, and New Zealand sometimes offer glimpses of the elusive southern lights, but one of the most compelling places to witness the celestial event is in Patagonia, the mountainous expanse that straddles southern Argentina and Chile. The Andes Mountains that sprawl across much of Patagonia, and act as the dividing line between Argentina and Chile, offer the right latitude to catch the southern lights' colorful dance along with spectacular viewing conditions and a mountainous backdrop. The phenomenon is most visible during the austral winter, from May through August, when the nights are long and dark. Amid Patagonia's stark beauty and solitude, the southern lights often reveal themselves—quietly and brilliantly. Most southern-lights-seekers come to Patagonia via Ushuaia, Argentina, which is sometimes called 'the end of the world' and is part of the southernmost and least populated Argentine province. Ushuaia provides access to Tierra del Fuego National Park and is the starting point for many Antarctica cruises, which is another great place to catch the lights. With 'noctourism'—the growing interest in after-dark travel experiences—emerging as one of 2025's leading trends, many travelers are setting their sights on the aurora borealis. But the more elusive prize lies farther south. According to annual travel predictions, more than half of American travelers are now considering destinations with darker skies in hopes of stargazing or catching a cosmic spectacle. In Patagonia, where the night stretches and the landscape remains blissfully unspoiled, the dream of rare nocturnal discovery feels closer—and infinitely more magical.
CNET
02-07-2025
- Climate
- CNET
Aurora Borealis May Hit These 16 States Over the Next 2 Days
Alongside fireworks and drone shows, people will have another excuse to look up at the sky this week, at least in select parts of the US. The sun has graced Earth with another round of solar material, which will interact with our atmosphere and make sections of the sky glow. Of course, we're talking about the aurora borealis, and it'll be visible in 16 states on Tuesday and Wednesday night. Of the two days, Tuesday night into Wednesday morning will be your best shot. The Space Weather Prediction Center is forecasting a Kp 5 magnetic storm that's scheduled to hit over six hours starting late Monday evening. The K-Index measures the horizontal impact of geomagnetic storms, and a Kp 5 rating results in what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration calls a "moderate" aurora. Things will calm down a bit Wednesday night going into Thursday morning, with the aurora pulling back a little and being less visible, unless you're on the northern border with Canada. NOAA is forecasting a Kp 4 magnetic storm that night. NOAA predicts the northern lights reaching into the US on Tuesday and Wednesday. NOAA Which states could see the aurora borealis? According to the Space Weather Prediction Center, Tuesday night's aurora will be visible in Alaska, Washington state, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, and the northernmost sections of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and most of Maine. Alaska and Canada will have the best views by a wide margin, with the entire state of Alaska getting coverage. Technically, there will also be a slice of Oregon, putting the full number at 16, but unless you live on the northeastern tip, you likely won't see anything. Much like with the Earth's weather, space weather prediction can be hit or miss. So if you're in any of the above states, it's worth taking a look if you're up that late. The magnetic storm may be slightly stronger or weaker than forecast, which will affect how far south the northern lights reach. This event won't be as strong as the epic show we saw in May 2024. Tips on viewing the northern lights The standard space viewing tips all apply here. You'll get a better view if you get away from the city and suburbs to avoid light pollution. Weather will play a role as well, since any clouds will obfuscate the view. If you attempt to photograph the aurora, we recommend using long exposure times to give your camera more time to soak in the light. Other than that, you'll want to look toward the northern horizon to give yourself the best chance at a good view, since (as you may've guessed) that's where the northern lights originate.
CNET
01-07-2025
- Science
- CNET
Aurora Borealis May Hit These 16 States Over the Next Two Days
Alongside fireworks and drone shows, people in select parts of the US will have another excuse to look up at the sky this week. The sun has graced Earth with another round of solar material, which will interact with our atmosphere and make sections of the sky glow. Of course, we're talking about the aurora borealis, and it'll be visible in 16 states on Tuesday and Wednesday night. Of the two days, Tuesday night into Wednesday morning will be your best shot. The Space Weather Prediction Center is forecasting a Kp 5 magnetic storm that's scheduled to hit over six hours starting late Monday evening. The K-Index measures the horizontal impact of geomagnetic storms, and a Kp 5 rating results in what NOAA calls a "moderate" aurora. Things will calm down a bit Wednesday night going into Thursday morning, with the aurora pulling back a bit and being less visible unless you're on the northern border with Canada. NOAA is forecasting a Kp 4 magnetic storm that night. NOAA predicts the northern lights reaching into the US on Tuesday and Wednesday. NOAA Which states could see the aurora borealis? Per the Space Weather Prediction Center, Tuesday night's aurora will be visible in Washington state, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, and the northernmost sections of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and most of Maine. Alaska and Canada will have the best views by a wide margin, with the entire state of Alaska getting coverage. Technically, there will also be a slice of Oregon, putting the full number at 16, but unless you live on the northeastern tip, you likely won't see anything. Much like Earth's weather, space weather prediction can be hit or miss. So, if you're in any of the above states, it's worth taking a look if you're up that late. It may be slightly stronger or weaker than forecasted, which will affect how far south the northern lights reach. It won't be as strong as the epic show we saw in May 2024. Tips on viewing the northern lights The standard space viewing tips all apply here. You'll get a better view if you get away from the city and suburbs to avoid light pollution. Weather will play a role as well, since clouds will obfuscate the view. If you attempt to photograph the aurora, we recommend using long exposure times to give your camera more time to soak in the light. Other than that, you'll want to look toward the northern horizon to give yourself the best chance at a good view since that's where the northern lights originate.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Is Florida on the list of states expected to see northern lights on Tuesday night?
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) upgraded its geomagnetic storm watch for June 25 and 26, and as many as 14 states could catch a glimpse of the northern lights overnight on Tuesday into Wednesday. Unfortunately for Floridians, the Sunshine State isn't on the list. NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center's latest three-day forecast shows that a hole in the sun's atmosphere will be directed toward Earth, sparking a stream of solar wind toward the pale blue dot. The storm's Kp index is about a five for Tuesday and Wednesday night, indicating that the northern lights will be 'brighter and there will be more auroral activity' for the places that can see them. Parts of the United States encompassing about 14 states will be able to catch a glimpse of aurora borealis: Northern Idaho Iowa Maine Michigan Minnesota Montana New Hampshire New York North Dakota South Dakota Vermont Washington Wisconsin Wyoming Florida and the northern lights aren't exactly well acquainted, but they do cross paths in rare occasions. The northern lights were spotted in Florida twice in 2024: First in May and then again in November, thanks to a pair of powerful solar storms. Though rare, Florida has seen northern lights before 2024. In 1989, the aurora borealis appeared on the First Coast and was visible in a red glow tinged with pale green and white streaks, the Florida Times-Union reported. Northern lights were visible as far as South Florida in 1981, though reports indicate they were much less impressive. Then there was the Carrington Event of 1859 tinting the sky bright red and green, which may have been the most powerful solar flare on record, according to NOAA. Contributors: Cheryl McCloud, Eric Lagatta — USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Florida not on the list to see northern lights tonight
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
May 2024 solar storm cost $500 million in damages to farmers, new study reveals
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Location signals beamed to Earth by GPS satellites were off by hundreds of feet during the Gannon Solar Storm in May last year, and the disruption lasted for up to two days in some U.S. regions, a new study has revealed. The outage wreaked havoc across the farming sector, which suffered losses of more than $500 million as a result. A succession of powerful solar eruptions in early May last year triggered the most powerful solar storm to hit Earth in 20 years. Later named after the deceased space weather scientist Jennifer Gannon, the solar storm produced awe-inspiring auroras visible as far south as Mexico, Portugal and Spain. It also made GPS go haywire for days. Farmers in the American Midwest, at that time at the peak of the planting season, reported their GPS-guided tractors acting like they were "possessed" during the storm, according to accounts. A new study has now quantified how big those GPS errors were not only during the height of the storm, but also in its aftermath when a lingering aurora continued to skew GPS signals. A team of researchers from Boston University used data from close to 100 high-accuracy, fixed GPS receivers scattered across the U.S. that form a seismic research network that measures the motions of tectonic plates. As it turns out, the network is also perfectly suited to study space weather effects in Earth's ionosphere, a layer of electrically-charged air found 30 miles (48 kilometers) above Earth. The effects that solar storms have on the ionosphere can affect the readings of GPS receivers. "GPS receivers work with the assumption that the ionosphere has a uniform plasma density," Waqar Younas, a space physics researcher at Boston University and lead author of the paper, told "But a solar storm creates irregularities in the ionosphere and as the signal passes through the ionospheric layers, it grows errors." When a solar storm hits, the charged solar particles it brings with it heat up and disturb the ionosphere. As the weak signals from the global positioning satellites pass through this suddenly turbulent region, they get thrown off course. Because the fixed GPS receivers in the research network are firmly attached to the ground, any change in their positioning data could only be a result of turbulence in the ionosphere. Measurements from this scientific GPS network revealed the scale of these errors with great accuracy, and enabled researchers to reconstruct what had gone on in the ionosphere during the storm. "By measuring the disturbance of the signal, we can tell the structure of the plasma in the upper atmosphere," Toshi Nishimura, a professor of space physics and co-author of the new study, told Analysis of the data revealed that the storm created a "wall of ionospheric plasma," stretching across the North American continent. This wall threw off GPS signals by up to 230 feet (70 meters) in central U.S. states, with smaller errors of up to 65 feet (20 m) reported in the southwestern parts of the country. The peak disruption lasted for about six hours on May 10, 2024, but things remained unsettled for up to two days, the study showed. After the shaken ionosphere began to calm down, the auroral lights triggered by the storm caused further GPS disruptions as charged particles from space trickled through the atmosphere along disrupted magnetic field lines. The GPS receiver network showed errors up to 30 feet (10 m) for the duration of these auroras. The erratic behavior of GPS-guided farming machinery caused by the Gannon solar storm cost American farmers in the U.S. midwest more than $500 million, according to Terry Griffin, a professor of agricultural economics at Kansas State University. "Because of the Gannon storm, planting of corn got delayed because our planters were mostly inoperative," Griffin told "Currently, about 70% of planted acres in the United States rely on equipment that uses GPS automated guidance to make straight parallel lines through the field. We no longer even have physical road markers, and the equipment is getting bigger to the point that we can no longer operate when the GPS is taken away." But agriculture was not the sole victim of the space weather-induced GPS mayhem. Aircraft rely on GPS not only to follow their paths but especially to know their precise altitude during landing. Errors of up to four meters can be compensated for, according to Nishimura. But the disruption on May 10 and 11 last year was "way beyond that tolerance window," Nishimura said. RELATED STORIES: — Powerful solar storms are a nightmare for farmers. 'Our tractors acted like they were demon possessed' — It's been one year since the most intense solar storm in decades created worldwide auroras. What have we learned? — Solar storm frenzy of May 2024 was strong enough to affect the deep sea The Gannon solar storm may have been the strongest in two decades. But it only provided only a weak taste of what the sun is capable of. The frequently discussed worst case scenario is the so-called Carrington event — a storm that hit Earth in 1859, knocking out telegraph services all over the world. A storm of that strength today would no doubt have wide-ranging consequences around the world. "During the Gannon storm, we saw the most intense impact in the central regions of the U.S.," Nishimura said. "But for a Carrington-sized event, we would see disruption all over the continent and errors so large that the signal would be unusable." Waqar says that in the future, real-time forecasting of ionospheric disruptions paired with AI-driven forecasts of GPS signal irregularities could help correct the errors as a storm progresses. The study was published in the journal JGR-Space Physics on June 9.
