Northern lights this weekend? Auroras could be visible as far south as Alabama.
Skywatchers get ready: Thanks to heightened solar activity, the aurora borealis could be coming to the skies above a large portion of the United States this weekend, space weather forecasters said Thursday.
Federal forecasters from NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center said that during previous solar activity of this magnitude, the "aurora has been seen as low as Alabama and northern California." Experts say the aurora might be visible Friday, Saturday or Sunday nights.
The spectacle would be courtesy of a series of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from the sun, which are forecast to reach the Earth early this weekend and produce the geomagnetic storms that trigger auroras. A G4 (severe) geomagnetic storm watch is in effect for Saturday May 11, NOAA said.
The northern lights are the most benign result of solar activity. Strong solar storms – including G4s – can also disrupt some radio communications, harm satellites and even knock out power systems, forecasters warned.
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