The northern lights have been so visible lately due to an "intense solar maximum"

Question

The northern lights have been very active in 2024 and visible in parts of the U.S for the first time in a long time. This is due to an intense solar storm that could be concerning to radio and power signals.

Comments

After looking further into this claim, I found that many scientists do agree that the reason that we are able to see the northern lights in the United States is linked to a geomagnetic storm. I looked at a variety of articles including Forbes "Northern Lights Forecast: Geomagnetic Storm May Cause Aurora Borealis To Be Visible In These States Tonight" which detailed how geomagnetic storms, caused by energy leaving the sun, are happening more often allowing people to see the Aurora Borealis in places it is usually not possible. The Forbes article also touched upon how the geomagnetic storm could lead to problems with the radio/power signals as you stated as well as power grids which are necessities in many places. This aligns with what is stated in the CBS article linked in your claim. So, the claim is true.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2024/10/11/northern-lights-forecast-geomagnetic-storm-may-cause-aurora-borealis-to-be-visible-in-these-states-tonight/

Answer 1

This information reported by CBS news is sourced from the Space Weather Prediction Center. The SWPC is a trusted and reliable source.

https://www.ncep.noaa.gov/director/ucar_reports/SWPC_Report_UCAR_Final.pdf

Comments

I wish that you had extracted where the information was gathered from in this report. Your fact check doesn't make a statement about the claim; it makes the report speak for itself. Not to mention that this report came out in 2009 and is predicting a Solar Maximum in 2013!

Answer 2

Scientists agree that the increase in visibility of the northern lights in 2024 is linked to geomagnetic solar storms. In this CBS article, and in a PBS article I found, it's mentioned that this flare up in solar events is due to the sun's solar cycle. We are nearing the peak of the cycle, called the solar maximum, meaning these storms are larger and more common. The PBS article also explains how it's possible that these storms could interrupt radio communications, overload  transformers and cause blackouts, and damage satellites. I also found another article that suggests there may be a link between climate change and the increased intensity of solar storms. It touches on  how climate change could potentially alter atmospheric and geomagnetic conditions, possibly making solar storms more severe. They do say this connection is very complex and not heavily researched though.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/wondering-why-the-aurora-borealis-was-visible-so-far-south-last-night-heres-why-its-all-thanks-to-the-sun

Comments

The specificity of this explanation is extremely helpful in digesting the articles, and the additional information you provided about solar storm severity is a really important point.