Aurora borealis may appear Wednesday in western Michigan

Grand Rapids, Mitch. (Wood) – There is a chance to see the Aurora Borealis in western Michigan on Wednesday night this week.

As in most cases, predicting the appearance of dance lights is not a guarantee.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Meteorological Center has released a G2 geomagnetic storm monitoring related to solar activity from Tuesday to Thursday. Serious contact with Earth is expected on Wednesday evening.

Storms of this magnitude usually strike Table Kp Up to No. 6 this is important to us in western Michigan because the Aurora Borealis is commonly found when the KP code reaches 6 or higher.

Wednesday’s event is expected to be visible to areas between the green and yellow lines drawn on the map below:

The forecast for Wednesday night is mostly clear sky and bright moon. If you want to try to see the Aurora Borealis, head out to the city lights after dark and look north.

Space weather forecast is never guaranteed. Often, solar storms may strike several hours earlier or later than expected, or may not reach the expected intensity at first.

We are entering a period of very active solar points, which means that the probability of solar flares in the sun has increased. If the sun’s flames move in the direction of the earth, it will trigger a storm clock. This means that even if Aurora does not come to play in Michigan this time around, we will have more opportunities in the future.