If you enjoyed the images of the northern lights online recently, or even saw them yourself, get ready to see more of them, and soon.
The “solar maximum,” which peaks in 2025, is expected to bring the northern lights to a sky near you more frequently in the years ahead, especially if you live in the northern parts of the U.S.
How solar max will affect Earth’s magnetic field
Every 11 years, the sun goes through a “solar cycle.” A cycle is the increase and decrease in the number of sunspots observed on the sun. With the number of sunspots, there’s an increase in solar flares and plasma energy and other types of space weather. Large eruptions on the sun send bursts of energy and material toward Earth.
According to predictions made by NASA scientists, the solar maximum, or the next peak in solar activity, will occur in July 2025. As a result, the northern lights will start to get stronger and more frequent as the solar maximum approaches.
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Current solar cycle beginning
Scientists monitor the development of the solar cycle and sunspots. These dark spots on the sun are signs of solar activity and frequently serve as the starting point for the massive explosions that can shoot light, energy and solar material into space. These explosions include solar flares and coronal mass ejections.
“This material and radiation is what interacts with the Earth resulting in aurora,” said Shannon Schmoll, the director of the Abrams Planetarium at Michigan State University.
Earth’s magnetic field is a protective shield
Earth’s magnetic field creates an invisible barrier that shields us from the solar winds. The magnetic field of Earth occasionally becomes disrupted by stronger solar winds. Stunning auroras are created when the particle stream interacts with gases in the planet’s magnetic field.
What causes the northern lights?
As the sun releases solar flares, it carries plasma particles toward the Earth.
Atoms in air molecules in Earth’s magnetic field are stimulated when charged electrons from the sun collide with them. As the molecules settle, they emit light. Green and red light are emitted by oxygen. The color of nitrogen is blue and purple.
The University of Alaska and NOAA tracks auroras using the Kp-index, a global auroral activity indicator which has a scale from 0 to 9. It measures the fluctuations in the Earth’s magnetic field, tied to specific geographic locations.
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During very large auroral events, the display can be seen throughout the U.S. and Europe, but these events are rare. During an extreme event in 1958, the aurora was visible from Mexico City, the University of Alaska reported.
Do northern lights occur on other planets?
Yes; auroras occur on planets with atmospheres and magnetic fields. On Jupiter and Saturn, NASA has captured these breathtaking auroras.
Not only are those auroras huge, but they’re also hundreds of times more energetic than auroras on Earth.
“These auroras are very dramatic and among the most active I have ever seen,” said Jonathan Nichols, of the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom.
CONTRIBUTING Doyle Rice, USA TODAY
SOURCE NASA; NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center; Space.com; NOAA
