A rare opportunity to view the aurora borealis from the United States could occur Friday night as a solar flare may push the light display as far south as Maryland and down over Nebraska.
The flare is ranked as an X-class, which is the highest class for a solar flare.
"A flare of this magnitude could also have adverse effects on GPS, radio frequencies and cell phone and
satellite reception as well," Accuweather reported.
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Accuweather said a cloud of charged particles caused by solar activity, called a coronal mass ejection, entered the Earth’s atmosphere Friday during the day, and that will generate a geomagnetic storm that will cause the northern lights to reach the U.S.
But clouds and the bright light of the departing Supermoon may hinder viewers.
News that the aurora borealis might make an appearance over parts of North America tonight sent many stargazers online to spread the good news.
Oregon Live reported that hopes of seeing the aurora borealis in that state had dimmed, although the forecast changes frequently. For the lights to be visible, the KP index, which is a reading devised from magnetometer readings, must be six or higher, the site said.
"This can change by the hour depending on the strength and timing of the solar impact, but it's likely the best viewing will be in the higher latitudes,” Jim Todd, director of space science education at Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, told Oregon Live.
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