Our Sun, in very good shape in recent months, caused one of the largest solar flares of its cycle this Thursday, October 3, 2024! Enough to give hope for new Northern Lights at our latitudes this weekend, if the weather is good!
While the heat of Soleil we already miss it, after a lackluster summer, our star continues to drop exceptional eruptionsat the peak of its cycle! Our friend has just produced one of the largest solar storms in recent years this Thursday October 3, 2024with coronal matter heading toward Earth. Enough to perhaps provoke new northern lights as impressive as last May, when France was able to largely benefit from it, a very rare occurrence.
This time, however, the clouds are more present and we will have to hope for calm weather this weekend to enjoy them. The models in any case announce a class G3 geomagnetic stormbut it could well occur in broad daylight for us, in which case the dawns would pass right under our noses. Another eruption had already taken place on the first day of the month, already considered major, coming from the same sunspot named AR3842.
All that remains is to wait for additional information! For the moment, according to Space Weather Watchthree geomagnetic storms are heading towards us and the second could be strong, extending from October 4 to 6with a peak during the night from Saturday to Sunday.
If you want to try your luck, you will have to avoid urban lighting to the maximum, and look north to hope to observe the phenomenon. With the naked eye, it’s difficult to distinguish them, but take out your phone or camera to try some exposures of a few seconds. If you see appear red pillars on your photo, you are lucky, it is an aurora borealis, indicates the Come (Alpine Space Meteorology Operational Center)!
