Majestic Northern Lights to Be Visible in Parts of Wyoming This Weekend
This weekend, parts of Wyoming will get a rare chance to get a look at the Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis. The areas of Wyoming that could get the view would get the chance on Saturday, October 30th.
There have been reports from KDVR Meteorologist Chris Tomer that a 'major X1 solar flare' occurred yesterday (October 28th). The solar flare, which erupts from the sun is sending a massive cloud of charged particles toward Earth that will collide with our atmosphere and make for quite the majestic display that will intensify the Northern Lights that are typically caused by solar winds from the sun.
According to Space.com, Alex Young, NASA's associate director for science at the Heliophysics Division of the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, "This could be a great show for people in the mid-to-upper U.S. latitudes for aurora."
Northern Lights
The coronal mass ejection that accompanied the solar flare could help the lights reach lower latitudes over Halloween weekend. Once the solar flare reaches the Earth's outer atmosphere, it is said that it may create a high KP Index Value of 7. In lesser complicated terms, that means the rare event could help the Northern Lights reach much lower latitudes, which means that states such as Wyoming, Nebraska, and South Dakota may be able to view the Aurora Borealis this weekend.
However, unfortunately, the parts of Wyoming that will have the best chances to view the lights are in the northern half of the state. And also those that aren't near lights of a relative decent sized city, such as a capital city of even those of a relatively decent sized college town, *cough* Cheyenne and Laramie, respectively.
So in case you don't have your Halloween plans nailed down just quite yet, maybe make a drive north and look up. As someone who used to get to see the Northern Lights from time to time (on rare occasions they might appear when I lived in North Dakota), I can tell you that it's well worth it.
10 Reasons Why You're Lucky to Be Living in Wyoming
- 10 Reasons Why You're Lucky to Be Living in Wyoming,
30 Wyoming Attractions To Visit
- 30 Wyoming Attractions To Visit
15 Questions You Should Never Ask Someone From Wyoming
- 15 Questions You Should Never Ask Someone From Wyoming
30 Ways To Say You're From Wyoming Without Saying You're From Wyoming
- 30 Ways To Say You're From Wyoming Without Saying You're From Wyoming