The powerful solar storm that brought northern lights to Chicago, was also rated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Geomagnetic a G5, the highest possible rating in May 2024. This storm interfered with GPS communications, affecting tractor guidance — which depends on centimeter-level accuracy. When the extra charged particles from the solar storm are released into space and in contact with Earth’s atmosphere, they produce auroras.
Despite the storm’s interference with electronics, the Aurora Borealis, often known as the Northern Lights, was now a possibility for the majority of the nation to view because of this weather system. So many people are still amazed that the Northern Lights can be visible from Chicago. Some individuals got lucky and caught the uncommon experience in Evanston on Friday, May 10. Furthermore, others that failed to get a glimpse of it had another chance the next day on Saturday night.
While riding his bike, one man happened to stumble onto the unique skies.
The Beauty of the Northern Lights
Liam Boyle, a resident of Niles, stated, “I was like, ‘Oh, I’ll take a picture of that. Looked over here above Ryan Field House.’ I was taking the picture and I’m like, ‘holy cow the sky is way different than I’ve ever seen before.'”
Boyle stood there in amazement and made sure to take some pictures. His mouth dropped open as he took it all in, only to realize that people were scurrying to the lakefront to witness it for themselves.
Boyle remarked, “It was surreal… surreal. I was probably the only person out here at first, then people started creeping out of the woodwork everywhere just in.”
For many people in Illinois who watched the unexpected show, that was their impression too. From Mount Sterling, people uploaded pictures of the sky display to newscasters. There was more of the same in Lisle as well. Continuing his description of the celestial event Boyle stated”
You know people have their differences but something like this just brings us all together… we’re all the same at that point.
According to NOAA, the storm was so strong that the Northern Lights could be seen as far south as Alabama and Northern California. Though experts stressed that it would not be the dramatic curtains of color typically associated with the northern lights, but rather more like splashes of greenish hues, it was difficult to predict. According to a meteorologist at ABC7, the aurora is essentially a gift from space weather. He and his colleagues suggested that since phone cameras are more adept at capturing light than the human eye, they might provide the best views of the aurora. Mike Betsy, the prediction center’s operations chief, said that if you take a picture of the sky “There might be a nice little treat there for you.” Auroras were caused in 1859 by the strongest solar storm ever recorded.
The Severity of a Solar Storm
Although, the people of Illinois got to see something both amazing and extravagant, it could have been a lot more destructive and causing more than just interference with electronics. For instance, in 2003, a strong geomagnetic storm destroyed power transformers in South Africa and knocked out power in Sweden. According to NOAA, signals between GPS satellites and ground receivers may be lost or jumbled even after the storm has passed.
However, meteorologists pointed out that since there are so many navigation satellites, any outages ought to be brief. The sun is also generating powerful solar flares that have caused at least seven plasma explosions. The sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, can release billions of tons of plasma and magnetic fields with each eruption, also referred to as a coronal mass ejection. According to NOAA, the flares appear to be connected to a sunspot that is 16 times the diameter of Earth.
All of it is a component of solar activity. Although this is surprising, it is not shocking considering throughout Earth’s history, space storms have occurred. Massive geomagnetic storms recorded as early as 774 A.D., are evidenced by scientific data derived from ice samples collected in the Arctic. The Carrington Event (1859) took the world by surprise when it destroyed the entire global telegraph network. This earned its name from British astronomer Richard Carrington. Considered to be the greatest solar storm event ever recorded, the auroras were visible as far south as Colombia. Telegraph paper allegedly caught fire, causing telegraph operators to report getting electric shocks when they touched their instruments.
The History of The Northman Lights
It is no wonder that the weekend of this current Solar storm has brought the Northman lights to Chicago. According to NOAA, there could have been an hour-long blackout of high-frequency radios. Specifically, communications over a portion of the planet. Additionally, the geomagnetic storm may result in widespread voltage irregularities in power systems. This could set off false alarms on security devices and drag on satellites in low orbit, preventing them from orienting. This causes GPS systems to lose lock and range.
Written by Jada Dunkentell
Sources:
abc7: Northern Lights visible in parts of Chicago area on Friday due to strong solar storm By MARCIA DUNN
abc7: Chicago area has 2nd chance to see Northern Lights Saturday night due to strong solar storm. By ABC7 Chicago Digital Team, Maher Kawash, and Greg Dutra
fox32chicago: Northern Lights spotted over Chicago amid severe solar storm By Emily Wahls and FOX TV Digital Staff
Featured Image Courtesy of Shawn Harquai‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Image Courtesy of Jan Hammershaug‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
