Solar storm on Earth today: Rare northern lights possible again in Switzerland this Friday

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The northern lights, which are very rare here, were seen in Switzerland in late September and early November. The colorful nature scene can be repeated today. On Wednesday evening of our time, the sun threw a huge amount of plasma into space in a violent explosion of class M9.8; this was just a few points away from the strongest X category. The violent plasma cloud has set its course towards Earth and is expected to arrive on Friday, thus also causing the northern lights over Switzerland.

If so, the northern lights will most likely be visible in the early morning hours. According to researchers, the geomagnetic storm that occurred on the Sun two days ago could not be observed until the 50th parallel, as usual. The celestial show may also reach lower latitudes due to severe solar storms. Switzerland is located between the 48th and 46th parallels.

Space expert talks about “direct hit”

«Direct hit! The impressive solar storm is expected to hit Earth at noon on December 1,” says NASA expert Tamitha Skov.

The space weather physicist also recommends looking at the sky over Central Europe, especially in the early morning hours. “If the magnetic field is aligned correctly, the northern lights can be expected to reach deep into the mid-latitudes,” says the researcher.

looking north

If weather conditions are favourable, the first northern lights will be visible in mid-Britain temperatures in the early morning hours of Friday 1 December. The northern lights will also be visible until the early hours of Friday evening. The geomagnetic storm will be strongest in Switzerland during the day around 13:00. Especially during this period when the nights are long, our chance of seeing the polar magic in the sky with the naked eye increases.

If the sky is clear and as dark as possible, look north, ideally outside towns. Meanwhile, in the southern hemisphere you need to look south. There the northern lights come from the South Pole and move north.

Federal “threat dossier.”

But this isn’t just a blooming celestial display. On Earth, power supply failures, orientation problems of satellites in Earth orbit, and radio frequency interference are possible.

In a “threat dossier” published in 2020, the Federal Civil Protection Agency (BABS) warns that solar storms can lead to the phenomenon of magnetic storms and power outages. “Many electronic devices do not work temporarily,” he warns. Areas near the poles are particularly affected, but the northern lights can be seen far to the south, including Switzerland.

The situation will return to normal as radiological and geomagnetic storms decrease. It will take a week for everything to work normally again. A “large” intensity scenario is “basically conceivable in Switzerland,” the federal filing states, “but can rarely be expected.”

Source : Blick