A solar storm reaches France this Thursday, October 10, 2024. The French can hope to see beautiful northern lights, perhaps even comparable to those of last May. When to look at the sky to try to observe them?
Will we see spectacular Northern Lights in France on the evening of Thursday October 10, 2024? A very powerful solar flare, emitted by the Sun on the night of October 8 to 9, sent a cloud of plasma towards the Earth. A severe geomagnetic storm is forecast, so the Northern Lights may be visible in more unusual places than usual. Including as far as mainland France, from nightfall — the Sun sets at 7:08 p.m. this Thursday.
The Sun constantly emits charged particles, in a flow called the solar wind. Sometimes the star emits even more energy, in the form of a coronal mass ejection — a cloud of plasma. However, the coronal mass ejection associated with the recent solar flare is heading towards our planet. When will it arrive and when will we see the dawns? It’s difficult to predict precisely, although scientists are analyzing the ejection to try to determine a timetable. “ Most models agree that the coronal mass ejection will arrive at midday on October 10 », indicates Vincent Ledvina, dawn hunter, on X (ex-Twitter), around 8 a.m. this morning.
« In general, the 6 to 12 hours following the arrival of a coronal mass ejection are the most active for aurora », he adds. The aurora hunter even thinks that Europe has a better chance of seeing beautiful auroras than the United States, because the plasma will arrive on Earth closer to the time of sunset.
As always, it is complicated to predict accurately and well in advance when and where the Northern Lights will be visible. This is often only possible shortly before the aurora occurs, because it is necessary to know the exact moment when the coronal mass ejection reaches Earth.
Plasma ejected by the Sun arrives towards Earth at the end of the day
The plasma detected on satellites is then of precious help to better plan. “ Good news for Europe! A large amount of plasma has been detected on the STEREO A satellite. It is located a few hours from Earth. The plasma from the ejection should reach us within 2 to 5 hours. », indicated the X account of COMEA (the Operational Center for Meteorology of the Alps Space) around 3 p.m. this Thursday. Or an arrival of the plasma around 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. on Earth.
« The magnetic orientation seems very good” and “the intensity is comparable to last May », added the COMEA around 4 p.m.
Effectively, ” the material ejected by the Sun arrived on Earth », Confirmed Éric Lagadec around 5:40 p.m.
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Here’s what time to try to see the Northern Lights in France
According to journalist Guillaume Langin of Ciel et Espace (the magazine of the French Astronomical Association), “ there is a very good chance of photographing auroras from France tonight, and maybe even seeing them with the naked eye “. To do this, you will have to look towards the north, from 7:30 pmaccording to the latest estimates. People living in the north of France will likely have a better chance of seeing auroras, according to Ciel et Espace.
Even if mainland France is affected by the geomagnetic storm, there will still be one uncertainty to resolve: the clouds! Cloudy weather could spoil the show. “ Our biggest problem will be visibility », confirms the COMEA, inviting you to look for an observation location without cloud cover (or as little as possible), without light pollution and with a clear view to the north. “ If you have any doubt, a 10-second exposure photo will allow you to check whether you see an aurora or not.. »
