A mighty wind

True, the Northern Lights have become more frequent in the last few years over Southwestern Colorado, typically the outermost limit of their reach. But not to worry, this is not the end times, at least as far as celestial events go.

Rather, the latest uptick in Mother Nature’s colorful light shows is the result of the sun reaching the peak of its 11-year activity cycle. Every 11 years, the sun’s magnetic poles swap places, causing magnetic mayhem.

However, this week’s spectral glow was a big one. Tuesday night’s flare was the strongest since 2005, ranking as an X8.7 on a scale of 0-9, according to NASA. It was seen as far south as Kansas, Colorado and Texas.

Without getting too technical, the Aurora Borealis (or Aurora Australis in the Southern Hemisphere – yep, they see them, too) is created when electron-charged particles from the sun, known as a solar wind, interact with Earth’s atmosphere. The collision produces light much like how electrons flowing through gas in a neon light collide to produce different colors.

The sun’s current active spurt is expected to last at least through the end of the year, although when solar activity peaks won’t be known until months after the fact, according to NASA and NOAA.

Solar storms can bring more than colorful lights to Earth. When fast-moving particles and plasma slam into Earth’s magnetic field, they can temporarily disrupt the power grid, air traffic control, radio and GPS communications, and satellites. 

Best aurora viewing is between 10 p.m. - 2 a.m., and the best seasons are around the spring and fall equinoxes due to subtleties in the way the solar wind interacts with Earth’s magnetosphere. 

To make sure you don’t miss the next one, Northern Lights forecasts can be found on NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center website: tinyurl.com/wuhbtbmz.