Stargazers will be able to see the mesmerizing views if they’re in the right spot, although the Northern Lights will remain largely calm tonight.
Geomagnetic conditions fluctuate between calm and unrest on February 10. According to space weather forecasts, lingering solar wind disturbances can be expected to diminish during the day, allowing calm space weather to prevail tonight. Currently, Earth is still feeling the effects of a weak, fast solar wind from a coronal hole, in addition to the diminishing influence of a partial coronal mass ejection (CME).
While conditions around the Northern Lights remain relatively calm and limited to high latitudes, Earth will continue to experience calm wind conditions. Conversely, although the Sun has been extremely active in a rapidly increasing sunspot region, no immediate impacts are expected to fall on Earth.
Stargazers often wanted to know the most important indicator of aurora activity: the Bz value of the interplanetary magnetic field. A strong southward direction allows the solar wind to connect with Earth’s magnetosphere. When these activated particles collide with atoms in the Earth’s atmosphere, they release energy in the form of light known as aurora. Consequently, a strong southward Bz significantly increases the probability of a visible display.
