Northern Lights Explained: Why the Sky May Glow on Oct 8-9
The northern lights may appear over parts of the US and Canada on October 8 and 9. Here is the science behind the show.
What causes auroras: the Sun fires charged particles into space. When they hit gases in Earth’s atmosphere, the gases glow, painting waves of light across the sky.
Why now: an M1.4 solar flare on October 6 hurled a cloud of solar material, called a coronal mass ejection, toward Earth. A second, weaker cloud followed. NOAA expects G1 to G2 geomagnetic storm conditions.
Who can see it: people in the northern US and Canada have the best chance, though the display may be more camera-friendly than visible to the naked eye.
Good timing: the Draconid meteor shower also peaks on October 8 and 9, and the new moon on October 10 means dark skies.
One caveat: the solar cloud may only glance off Earth, so the show is not guaranteed.
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Khabar 24h Editorial Desk — our explainers are prepared by the Khabar 24h editorial team using AI-assisted research tools, and every piece is reviewed by a human editor before publishing. We do not claim original reporting: our work is turning complex topics into simple, accurate summaries. Spotted an error? Write to contact@khabar24h.com — our corrections policy aims for same-day review.
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