Warning Northern Lights: “It’s a mess on the Sun” – France Info

Northern Lights in Norway in 2012, those visible in France tonight would rather red © REUTERS / Rune Stoltz Bertinussen

The solar storm is announced arrival on Earth. Small perturbations can be expected for satellites, but beautiful Northern Lights could be seen especially to France.

The particles of the solar storm announced have now reached the Earth. They are the consequences of two solar flares that occurred Monday and Wednesday night for the most important. “ When there is a phenomenon like this, the Earth is not necessarily opposite, then it turns out that the Earth is right in front, so the particle flux we take the brunt “said on France Info Jean-Luc Dauvergne of Sky and Space magazine.

These solar particles can sometimes create electrical disturbances, but they are not strong enough. “ This has happened in the past in the 80s that a power plant overheating in Canada ” explains the specialist. But then, “ it may just disturb radio transmissions in the polar regions, or some small perturbations of satellites ,” he adds.

Jean-Luc Dauvergne of Sky and Space magazine, says solar storms, with Ersin Lebowitch

the Northern Lights visible in France

Look up tonight because these solar storms are favorable at dawn borealis, these phenomena green or red drapes in the sky, which correspond to the magnetic field of the Earth. Solar storms actually shift the viewing area of ​​the northern lights. “ It is quite likely that the north of the British Isles can see the northern lights, and maybe it will come down even more in the South and that the phenomenon will be visible from Belgium or France ” said Jean -Luc Dauvergne.

If the phenomenon is visible in France, it would be rather red because at an altitude of about 200 kilometers. The most favorable time is between 23h and 2 or 3am. The phenomenon is in any case already visible from space, as this tweet astronaut aboard the International Space Station:

Why such solar activity?

“ The sun has an 11-year activity cycle, after that these two poles are reversed, and there is a period between the two which is a little mess , “said the specialist. “ We are at the end of this period of reverse polarity, so a good time with solar flares ” he added.

Solar Storm: the phenomenon and its causes Idé ©