"Catch the Northern Lights This New Year's Eve: 18 U.S. States to See the Aurora Borealis as You Ring in 2025"
Catch the Northern Lights: Your Last Chance This Year! For those who haven't yet witnessed the northern lights, now could be the perfect opportunity — and what better way to ring in the new year! The Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) has issued a geomagnetic storm watch for December 31, following a solar storm caused by a coronal mass ejection (CME) that erupted from the sun on December 29. These powerful explosions from the sun’s surface can create breathtaking auroras, and this storm is expected to bring one of those displays. The SWPC has indicated that this G3-level geomagnetic storm is “uncommon but not extremely rare,” and that the aurora could be visible in many northern states, potentially as far south as Illinois and Oregon. Why Do These Storms Matter? Geomagnetic storms result from solar events that disturb Earth's magnetosphere. The strongest storms, like the one expected on December 31, are caused by CMEs. While solar storms can occasionally disrupt sat...