Tonight you should look up at the sky – can be the northern lights all over the country – NRK Nordland
On Tuesday, there was a gas blow to the sun that is heading straight for us here on earth.
It is reported to arrive tonight Norwegian time.
The forecast shows a KP index of 7, on a scale ranging from 0 to 9.
– It is rarely powerful, says Pål Brekke, solar researcher at the Norwegian Space Center to NRK.
– It has been a long time since we have had such a strong warning about geomagnetic activity.
If the warning strikes, the northern lights will be clearly visible throughout Norway. And maybe also for people far south in Europe.
Notice of favorable weather
The KP index tells us something about how wide the Northern Lights Oval is and thus how far south it will be possible to see the Northern Lights, says nordlysvarsel.com.
– Normally, people in Oslo will be able to see the northern lights at a KP index of 5. If it is 6, it is visible over northern Germany. At 7, it will be visible in Central Europe, says Brekke.
according to the northern lights forecast to Yr.no. the weather gods are on our side at night, and there are few clouds over large parts of Norway.
Still uncertain
But how strong the northern lights will be is still uncertain. How visible it becomes depends on how the magnetic fields are placed in relation to each other.
– There is one thing in particular that is extremely important for this to happen, and it is the direction of the magnetic field in the gas cloud that comes, says Pål Brekke.
He explains:
– If the magnetic field in the gas cloud has the opposite direction of the earth’s magnetic field, we get a strong connection and thus a strong geomagnetic storm. But if the magnetic fields have the same direction, we get a bad coupling and a minor storm.
– For those who have played with Brio trains, they know that when the trains have the opposite polarity, the trains snap together. But if you turn one train and they have the same polarity, then they repel each other.
According to Brekke, we do not know the direction of the magnetic field from the sun until some time before it hits us. Only then do we get a really good measurement of how powerful this will be.
There is also another element of uncertainty.
– The other uncertainty trader about when the solar storm hits us. If it happens four to five hours later than expected, the sun has risen. We may be unlucky with the timing here.
– The forecast says there will be a few hours past midnight. But if they have missed the calculations and it is too late, it is those who live further east who get the pleasure of this, says Brekke.