by
Mathilde Desgrange
Posted on
; Updated September 16, 2024 at 6:15 PM.
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A few days ago, on the night of September 12-13, Northern Lights It has been observed in England, but also in France, particularly in Alsace and the Vosges.
While the British have flooded social media with images of the colourful sky, the phenomenon has been less visible on our side of the Channel. But you may have better luck. This Monday, September 16, 2024.
“Will we see the Northern Lights on Monday night?” asks Vincent Ledvina, on X, a photographer who introduces himself as “ Aurora man“. And judging by the sun's activity in recent days, this may be the case. We are taking stock.
Biggest solar flare since May
This weekend, the Operational Centre for Space Meteorology in the Alps (Comea) observed a coronal mass ejection (CME), or coronal mass ejection. Sun Particle Explosion.
He asserts on his X account that it would be “an excellent candidate for future explosions towards Earth.”
“It will happen.”
The Sun experienced its “biggest explosion since May” (which caused the aurora), confirms Eric Lagadec, an astrophysicist at the Observatory of the Côte d'Azur, in actu.frEnsuring that the Northern Lights will soon be coloring the sky.” We don't know exactly when yet.But it will happen.
As for the exact moment, “it's very difficult to predict,” he told our editorial staff. It could be tonight, tomorrow or the day after.
Like the Komiya Center specialized in astrophysics. Calls to “watch” the sky this week (And so this evening).
Solar Flares, Origin of the Northern Lights
this Solar flare phenomenon It consists of the ejection of energy in the form of electromagnetic waves and plasma, at a speed ranging between 400 and 700 kilometers per second. When these particles reach the Earth, they disrupt its magnetic field. This is what makes this sky covered in colors, and thus the northern lights.
“The waves that come close enough to the Earth excite oxygen and nitrogen atoms and cause a phenomenon that many people seek to observe: the northern lights,” explained Jean-Pierre Martin, president of the Astronomical Society of France's Cosmology Committee.actu.frin a previous article.
More Northern Lights to Come
The northern lights therefore depend on solar flares. There should be many other opportunities to observe these exceptional events, which are usually reserved for areas near the poles, because the peak of these explosions has not yet been reached.
For several months, the Sun is experiencing a period of intense activity, manifested in the proliferation of solar flares on its surface, with a direct consequence on our planet: particularly intense magnetic storms, of which the northern lights are the most visible. The symptoms are fascinating.
As for the cycle we find ourselves in, it must be so. Maximum in early 2025…”, the CNRS specifies, On her website.
Any chance of seeing any this Monday evening?
For a storm to be observable, it must be large enough strongAt this stage, the National Center for Scientific Research has only “one certainty, which is that solar storms will become more powerful in the coming months.”
How do you see the Northern Lights?
In order not to miss any of this spectacle, you need to look north (as is always the case for the northern lights), the sky is clear and, if possible, stay away from cities.
If you can't see them with the naked eye, try taking a photo of them, with a long pause. “In general, it's simpler,” concludes Eric Lagadec.
Eric Lagadec warns that during the last solar flare, two days ago, “material was not ejected directly towards Earth, so the northern lights will be less impressive than they were last May.”
This will be on Monday, September 16th in the evening.G3 level (Compared to G5 level last May), According to NOAA forecasts (Noaa).
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