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Northern lights were seen in Cincinnati on Thursday evening

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Northern lights were seen in Cincinnati on Thursday evening

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Thanks to a severe geomagnetic storm, the Northern Lights were visible in southwest Ohio Thursday evening.

Cincinnati was just outside the line of sight of the Space Weather Prediction Center's aurora forecast Thursday. The geomagnetic storm warning issued by the center on Thursday was the second this year, with the aurora borealis seen as far south as Alabama.

Did you see the Northern Lights on Thursday? Share your photos with The Enquirer here.

Aurora Borealis forecast tonight through Friday. Will the Northern Lights be visible from Ohio?

According to the Space Weather Prediction Center, an emerging geomagnetic storm hit Earth on Thursday morning.

The storm was expected to bring the northern lights across Ohio and as far south as Alabama.

Warning for severe geomagnetic storms of the G4 class

The Space Weather Prediction Center has issued a severe (level G4 of G5) geomagnetic storm warning for October 10-11. According to the SWPC, the issuance of a warning means that the risk of potentially dangerous space weather has increased significantly, but its occurrence or timing is still uncertain, at this level it is very rare.

The center reports that a coronal mass ejection, a burst of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun, is expected to hit Earth today. If it hits, the resulting geomagnetic storm could cause problems with the power grid and satellite navigation, among other things. It could also power the northern lights, driving them south into the United States.

Map of the Aurora Borealis

Here's an Aurora Borealis forecast map created by the Space Weather Prediction Center that shows how far south the aurora could come tonight.

When will the Aurora Borealis be visible?

During times of high geomagnetic activity that pushes the northern lights further south, the aurora will be visible directly over the northern United States, according to the prediction center.

For optimal visibility, the center recommends that it be very dark. Stay away from the city lights and don't try to see them on a full moon night. The best time to view the Northern Lights is one to two hours after midnight or between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m

How to photograph the Northern Lights with an iPhone

If you want to take a photo of the Northern Lights, your phone camera should do the job. However, you may need to make some adjustments to the settings.

To get the best picture, Travelfoss says you should adjust your iPhone to capture more light. Night mode is automatically activated, leaving the camera sensor open for 1 to 3 seconds depending on the light. For the best image of the aurora, you should set this setting to a maximum of 10 seconds (or 30 seconds if using a tripod).

If there is too much ambient light, Night Mode can let in too much and overexpose your photos. To combat this, Travelfoss says you may need to change the exposure adjustment setting.

What causes so many solar storms? The sun is nearing its peak in the solar cycle

The sun is becoming more active as it approaches the peak of its current 11-year solar cycle, which began in 2019, according to NASA.

As the peak approaches (expected to occur in July 2025), geomagnetic storms are more likely to occur. That, in turn, increases the chances that the aurora will be visible from the United States, Erica Grow Cei, meteorologist and spokeswoman for the SWPC, previously told the Beacon Journal.

After the peak, solar activity slows down and increases progressively until the solar minimum, according to NASA. At this point, a new solar cycle begins as solar activity increases again.

What are the Northern Lights? How does the Aurora Borealis work?

According to NASA, auroras are bands of light that weave through the Earth's northern or southern polar regions. They are caused by magnetic storms that are triggered by solar activity, such as solar flares or coronal mass ejections. The solar wind carries high-energy charged particles from these events away from the Sun.

According to Space.com, these energetic particles hit the atmosphere at 45 million miles per hour and are redirected toward the poles by Earth's magnetic field, creating the light show.

During major geomagnetic storms, the auroras spread away from the poles and can be seen over some parts of the United States, according to NOAA.

What is a Coronal Mass Ejection?

NASA describes coronal mass ejections as “giant bubbles of coronal plasma crossed by intense magnetic field lines that are ejected from the Sun over the course of several hours.” The Akron Beacon Journal reports that the space agency says they often look like “giant, twisted ropes” and can occur during solar flares or explosions on the sun's surface.

NOAA offers Aurora Dashboard

If you're curious about the latest auroral forecast, NOAA has a tool for that. The Aurora Dashboard provides a visual, animated forecast of where the Northern Lights could be seen in the next few minutes and the next day.

A severe solar storm could strain power grids already damaged by hurricanes Helene and Milton

In preparation for the solar storm, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has notified the Federal Emergency Management Agency of possible disruptions to the power grid, while FEMA is dealing with the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Hurricane Milton, which just hit Florida, NPR reports.

Florida is far enough south to avoid power outages from the solar storm, Rob Steenburgh, a scientist at NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, told NPR. However, NOAA space weather forecaster Shawn Dahl told NPR that experts are more concerned about how the geomagnetic storm will affect the power grid in areas recovering from Helene, which struck two weeks ago.

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