Northern Lights Forecast is Bright
The Aurora Borealis is a cosmological phenomenon that originates 93 million miles away — on the sun. When solar winds carrying plasma come into contact with Earth’s magnetic shield a spectacular light show becomes visible.
Generally best seen in the higher latitudes of the U.S. and Canada during winter a powerful solar storm can send rainbow ribbons of light far to the south.
The auroras — called the Aurora Australis in the Southern Hemisphere — can be easily seen but some people also claim to hear them.
The frequency and intensity of the night light show depends on the activity level on the sun. Often called the sunspot cycle the sun sees increasing and decreasing sun spots over an 11 year period. Right now, the sun is waking from an unusually long quiet period so the Northern Lights are likely to get brighter before peaking in about 2014.
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