Arizonans got see quite the sight in the night sky on Tuesday night thanks to powerful solar systems.
Photos started to flood into the First Alert Weather Facebook page and the Arizona’s Family Facebook inbox about the northern lights they saw. From Seligman to Cottonwood to New River, viewers were pretty excited to see the phenomenon.
A couple of them said they could see the northern lights with the naked eye. But for the best pictures, night mode was needed to see the bright red colors in the sky.
Solar storms are ranked G1 to G5, weak to strong, and according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, it was a G4 category storm that helped get the northern lights visible in Arizona. In fact, the northern lights weren’t forecasted to be visible in Arizona.
Arizona wasn’t alone. People in states as far south as Alabama saw them as well.
How northern lights happen
The sun is at the maximum phase of its 11-year activity cycle, making the light displays more common and widespread. Colorful northern lights have decorated night skies in unexpected places and space weather experts say there are more auroras still to come.
Aurora displays known as the northern and southern lights are commonly visible near the poles, where charged particles from the sun interact with Earth’s atmosphere.
Skygazers are spotting the lights deeper into the United States and Europe because the sun is going through a major face-lift. Every 11 years, its poles swap places, causing magnetic twists and tangles along the way.
Last year, the strongest geomagnetic storm in two decades slammed Earth, producing light displays across the Northern Hemisphere. And soon afterward, a powerful solar storm dazzled skygazers far from the Arctic Circle when dancing lights appeared in unexpected places including Germany, the United Kingdom, New England and New York City.
The sun’s active spurt is expected to last at least through the end of this year, though when solar activity will peak won’t be known until months after the fact, according to NASA and NOAA.
How to see auroras
Northern lights forecasts can be found on NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center website or an aurora forecasting app.
Consider aurora-watching in a quiet, dark area away from city lights. Experts recommend skygazing from a local or national park. And check the weather forecast because clouds can cover up the spectacle entirely.
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