Aurora Borealis Could Occur In New Areas Due To Huge Solar Storm, Expert Predicts

A leading expert in ‘space weather’ has predicted that the aurora borealis could be visible in some unusual places later this week because of a large solar flare.

While it’s unlikely that the Northern Lights will be seen at this time of year, at this time of day, localised entirely in your kitchen – hello Simpsons nerds – it could be spotted at much lower latitudes than normal.

So, it looks as if there has been quite a large solar flare that has come directly at our planet, which may lead to some disruption in radio service, among other things.

Significantly, it could see an increase in the amount of activity in the skies.

This weekend, Dr. Tamitha Skov, who describes herself as the ‘Space Weather Woman’ predicted that a ‘direct hit’ from a solar storm will arrive on Tuesday (19 July).

So, if you keep your eyes to the skies – if the night is clear – you might be able to see the Northern Lights in places that aren’t exactly as northern as you might think.

We’ll have to keep our eyes peeled for more information on exactly where you may have the best chance to see the aurora borealis.

Sharing a NASA prediction model on Twitter, Dr Skov wrote: “Direct Hit! A snake-like filament launched as a big #solarstorm while in the Earth-strike zone.

“NASA predicts impact early July 19.

“Strong #aurora shows possible with this one, deep into mid-latitudes.

“Amateur #radio & #GPS users expect signal disruptions on Earth's nightside.”

Skov is a research scientist at the Aerospace Corporation and is a well-respected authority on matters such as these.

Therefore, if she says something is going to happen, there’s a decent chance that it will.

Skov continued: “The long snake-like filament cartwheeled its way off the #Sun in a stunning ballet.

“The magnetic orientation of this Earth-directed #solarstorm is going to tough to predict. “G2-level (possibly G3) conditions may occur if the magnetic field of this storm is oriented southward!”

While all of this big talk might sound a bit scary, the truth is that there shouldn’t be too much to be concerned about.

These solar storms are natural, but they can still cause blackouts and problems for radio and GPS users.

The sun is currently in an active phase of the 11-year magnetic cycle, meaning that these things might happen more and more.

That could mean more aurora borealis activity for us to keep watching the skies for.

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Topics: Science, Weird, Space, World News

Tom Wood

Tom Wood is a LADbible journalist and Twin Peaks enthusiast. Despite having a career in football cut short by a chronic lack of talent, he managed to obtain degrees from both the University of London and Salford. According to his French teacher, at the weekend he mostly likes to play football and go to the park with his brother. Contact Tom on [email protected]

@TPWagwim