This Weekend's X-class Solar Flare on the Sun Increases the Likelihood of Viewing Auroras

This week, the sun has been quite busy, sending out all sorts of solar events. That means you might just catch a glimpse of the aurora this weekend if you're in the right place in the U.S.

First off, a massive solar flare of the X1.3 class originated from an unidentified sunspot location early on Thursday morning, September 12.These X-class solar flares are super intense & can mess up high frequency (HF) radio communications in areas lit by the sun. The flare peaked at 5:43 AM EDT (943 UTC) and caused some communication issues in Africa, Europe & parts of Asia around that time.

The Space Weather Prediction Center scientists at NOAA are still analyzing all the data. They need to see how many coronal mass ejections (CMEs) might smack into Earth's magnetic field. These CMEs could come from both this X-class flare and some M-class flares (M-class being the second most powerful category). There were two active sunspots—AR 3811 and AR 3814—making waves early Thursday.

The Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) under NOAA reported a G3 (Moderate) level geomagnetic solar storm on Thursday, September 12 at 10:46 AM EDT (1446 UTC). This happened because of a CME from a solar flare on September 10.

So, if you're an aurora fan, guess what? Friday, September 13 might be your lucky day! Another geomagnetic storm is expected because of a CME that burst from the sun earlier on Tuesday, September 10.

Even a geomagnetic solar storm alert is in effect for Friday, according to the SWPC. They predict it could be a G2 (moderate) event. Hopefully, this means another chance to see the beautiful aurora, as long as the weather cooperates! So, keep your eyes peeled if you’re across northern and upper Midwestern states—from Idaho to New York.