The northern lights may be visible in New England during a potential “severe geomagnetic storm.”

BOSTON – AL Northern lights It is, by far, one of the most beautiful and elusive phenomena in our night sky.

If you’re lucky enough to catch a glimpse, it’s something you’ll never forget.

I’ve written dozens of blogs like this one, alerting you all to the possibility of this happening Twilight vision Most of the time it ends in disappointment.

However, later this week, we may have a rare and somewhat unique opportunity to see the northern lights in parts of New England.

What causes the northern lights to appear?

On Tuesday, a solar flare caused three separate “coronal mass ejections” on the Sun’s surface, creating a rather rare “CME corona.” A coronal mass ejection is a fancy way of describing a sudden explosion of charged particles from the Sun, shooting outward at speeds approaching 2,000 miles per second.

The ejection that occurred on Tuesday came from a sunspot that was directly facing Earth. Scientists are calling for the possibility of a “severe geomagnetic storm” occurring here on Earth when these particles arrive later this week.

The devil remains in the details. . . It is difficult to predict the ferocity of the auroral event days in advance. Since there are multiple ejaculations, scientists believe this may lead to what is called “cannibal CME.” Essentially, one large wave engulfs and combines with some smaller waves, creating the potential for a larger event. If this happens, we could see a G3 or G4 geomagnetic storm, which is something less common (most of these events are classified as lower, G1 or G2). When we receive a G3 or G4 event, mid-latitudes (including where we live) have the best chance of seeing the aurora.

When can we see the northern lights in New England?

The peak of the storm is currently expected to reach land on Friday morning. So, your best chance of seeing anything will likely come during Thursday night, when sky conditions are relatively clear. Then clouds and rain enter the picture Friday afternoon and evening.

Again, having said all of this, the odds are still low that you’ll watch much of anything on Thursday night. If you want to increase your odds, there are some things you can do:

– Stay away from any artificial light as much as possible. . . Find the darkest night sky you can!

– Find a location with a clear, unobstructed view of the northern skyline

– Be patient and keep up to date with updated forecasts

As always, if you’re able to take any photos or videos, we’d love to see them and share them on WBZ! Send them to [email protected]