Barrage of solar explosions could bring auroras to the U.S. this weekend as Perseid meteor shower peaks

By Ben Turner published yesterday

Three powerful solar eruptions could bring auroras as far south as New York and Idaho right at the peak of the Perseid meteor shower this weekend.



An illustration of a coronal mass ejection blasting out of the sun toward Earth. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Three high-speed solar explosions known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are set to slam into Earth's magnetic field this weekend, bringing stunning auroras as far south as New York and Idaho.

Striking Earth in succession on Aug. 9, 10 and 11, the CMEs will coincide with the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, according to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center alert.

If a geomagnetic storm is triggered, the sun eruptions will create a curtain of shifting light through which the bright tails of the Perseid shooting stars can be seen.

NOAA predicts possible auroras this weekend in the northern parts of most states along the U.S.-Canada border, including Washington, Idaho, Montana, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York and Maine. Here is the agency's latest aurora forecast.

More:
https://www.livescience.com/space/the-sun/barrage-of-solar-explosions-could-bring-auroras-to-the-us-this-weekend-as-perseid-meteor-shower-peaks