JACKSON, Wyo. — Geomagnetic activity put on a light show over North America last night, and minor activity is expected for the next two nights, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center.
NOAA issued an advisory stating that G3 (Strong) geomagnetic storm levels were reached on Sunday, Sept. 14, at 8:59 p.m. MST. The geomatic storms were due to high-speed solar winds from a coronal hole, which is a region in the Sun’s outer atmosphere (corona) that emits low levels of ultraviolet and X-ray radiation, per the NOAA.
Last night, a couple of Teton Valley residents shared their photos of the northern lights on Facebook. Heather Dawson said that she viewed the celestial show from Packsaddle Lake in the Big Horn Mountains.
“Northern Lights!” Dawson wrote on Facebook. “Looks like they will be back before morning!”
Horacio Garcia shared his views of the colorful night sky between Victor and Driggs.
NOAA also forecasts a minor chance of G1 storms (Kp index 3) on the evenings of Sept. 15 and Sept. 16, meaning there is a very low chance of seeing the aurora in Wyoming the next two nights. Seeing the aurora from Wyoming typically requires a Kp index of 5 or 6 or higher and exceptionally dark, clear skies.Â
As explained by Wyoming Stargazing, the Kp index “measures the disruption of the horizontal distribution of the geomagnetic activity…A value of 0 means that even Fairbanks, Alaska would have difficulty in seeing the northern lights. One to 3 is most common, and that’s what is frequently seen in those northern latitudes of northern Canada and Alaska. A 4 would push them down into southern Canada, while a 5, in the right conditions, might just barely be visible on the northern horizon here in Jackson Hole. To see them well, we typically need at least a 6.”
Get a beautiful shot of the aurora? Send it to tips@buckrail.com for the chance to be featured!
