Updated forecast: Aurora borealis viewing dims for Oregon, but still a chance

Scientists say Oregonians -- especially in the northwest part and central parts of the state -- have a good chance Thursday night of seeing the aurora borealis, or northern lights, and an even better chance Friday night.



According to AccuWeather.com astronomer Hunter Outten, a coronal mass ejection on the sun earlier this week will create a geomagnetic storm and the brightly dancing lights known as the aurora.



"There will be a pretty good chance to see the northern lights because of the first geomagnetic storm Thursday night," Outten said. "It's good timing."



Outten said the solar flare is rated as an X-class, the highest category. He said in addition to the good chance for the northern lights, the solar activity could affect GPS, radio frequencies, cell phone and satellite reception, too.



At space.com, editors say the forecast for strong auroras is the result of powerful solar storms on the sun Monday and again Thursday.

"The most intense storming is expected tomorrow, Friday night into Saturday morning," said William Murtagh, program coordinator for the U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado.



Outten said the best time to see the northern lights will be after midnight, but they could be visible as soon as it gets dark. Skies in Oregon are forecast to be clear, the National Weather Service in Portland predicts. Moonlight could dim the show, however, and viewing will be best away from city lights.



"(Some) people won't have to stay up late to see them, but it will get better throughout the night," Outten said.





From Accuweather.com:

Solar flares create auroras when radiation from the sun reaches Earth and interacts with charged protons in our atmosphere. The effects are greater at the magnetic poles and weaken as they move south from the Arctic or north of the Antarctic. In the Northern Hemisphere, the results are called the aurora borealis, with the aurora australis being its southern counterpart. The result is a spectacular display of light and color for areas with clear enough views.

-- Stuart Tomlinson