Chances of seeing the Northern Lights in the northern US are increasing early this week, according to a recent space weather forecast. Coronal holes in the Sun can produce coronal high-speed streams (CH HSS), sending charged particles toward Earth and creating the dancing lights known as Aurora Borealis.
The Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) is tracking two coronal holes that are sending solar wind towards Earth, increasing the likelihood of Northern Lights sightings across the northern tier. The predicted geomagnetic storm effects may cause G1 (minor) impacts on Monday morning in states like Michigan and Maine.
While space weather events can negatively affect satellites and power grids, this week’s conditions are only expected to cause weak power grid fluctuations. NOAA is also working on a new space weather forecasting tool, the GOES-19 satellite, which will provide better predictions of large solar storms impacting Earth.
The test images from the compact coronagraph on GOES-19 have been released ahead of its full operational launch this spring. This upgrade aims to improve space weather prediction capability and help forecasters predict when massive solar storms will hit Earth.
Source: https://www.foxweather.com/earth-space/northern-lights-chances-northern-us-early-week