Key Points
- Northern lights visible at lower latitudes than usual
- Aurora likely not visible in San Antonio with naked eye.
- Cameras might detect it away from city lights!
- Coronal mass ejection from the sun arrived at Earth 10:15 CDT Thursday
- Space Weather Prediction Center is monitoring.
- Tech impacts are possible, but major disruptions are unlikely.
Recommended Videos
What is happening?
SAN ANTONIO – A coronal mass ejection (CME) is a significant release of gas and magnetic energy from the sun. CMEs are common, but a stronger one was observed on October 8 and made it to Earth Thursday, October 10.
The sun is 93 million miles away from the Earth, so it takes a couple of days for CMEs to reach the Earth. We don’t know the full scope of the CMEs until they reach our instrumentation to measure them, which is 1 million miles from earth. This happened at 10:15 a.m. CDT, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC).
“The anticipated coronal mass ejection (CME) arrived at Earth at 11:15am EDT at nearly 1.5 million miles per hour. The CME strength and structure are being closely scrutinized for potential geomagnetic storm intensity...”
Space Weather Prediction Center; Thursday, October 10, 2024
Since the initial observation of the CME Thursday morning, a stronger geomagnetic storm has been observed. Here’s the latest from the SWPC...
“G4 (Severe) geomagnetic storming levels have been observed as of 1657 UTC on 10 Oct.
A Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) reached the Earth today, October 10th, at 11:17 AM EDT.
A G3 (or greater) Geomagnetic Storm Warning was issued at 11:41 AM EDT
G3 conditions were observed at 11:49 EDT
G4 conditions were reached at 12:57 EDT
A G4 or greater Geomagnetic Storm Watch remains in effect for today and Friday.
The geomagnetic storm, which is expected to last through today and tomorrow, October 11th. There is still a possibility that we could reach G5 (Extreme) levels.”
Space Weather Prediction Center; Thursday, October 10, 2024
Will San Antonio see the aurora?
CMEs interact with the atmosphere and create the colorful aurora, also known as the “northern lights.”
It’s been an active solar season, and San Antonio briefly observed the northern lights in May from stronger waves of CMEs. This week’s solar storm results from a single CME, so it is not expected to produce auroras visible to the naked eye in San Antonio. However, the cameras on our phones have sensitive equipment that can sometimes see the aurora when our eyes can’t, so there’s a chance your camera can detect it in the Hill Country.
In fact, KSAT Connect users sent many pictures of the aurora Thursday night! Check them out here.
As for Friday night, October 11, - depending on solar activity - it may be possible again to observe the northern lights Friday night -- especially away from city lights and using your phone camera. In northern parts of the U.S., it could be visible with the naked eye.
Technology impacts
There is a slight possibility of minor tech impacts, such as advanced GPS and satellite interruptions. There’s a very slight chance some power grids could be impacted, but utilities have been informed of potential issues and can make necessary adjustments if needed.
In a worse-case scenario, the SWPC, cautions the following:
“This storm could impact ongoing recovery efforts for Hurricanes Helene and Milton in several critical ways:
Communications: Systems that depend on low-Earth orbit satellites or High-Frequency communication may experience disruptions.
Power grids: The storm could put additional stress on power grids already weakened by the hurricanes.
GPS services: Navigation systems, especially those relied upon in disaster relief, may be degraded.
SWPC has already updated FEMA and several state agencies involved in recovery operations.”
Space Weather Prediction Center; Thursday, October 10, 2024
The Weather Authority will keep the community updated with any changes or developments.
Community members can share their sky photos and videos through KSAT Connect.