CHRISTMAS LIGHTS: Skies above the Arctic Circle turned green on Dec. 25th when the interplanetary magnetic (IMF) field near Earth turned south. This opened a crack in our planet's magnetosphere. Solar wind poured in and fueled a display of Northern Lights:
:"I saw these at 8:30 am on Dec. 25th," says photographer John Dean of Nome, Alaska. "They were the first Christmas auroras I have ever seen."
The day after Christmas could be good, too. A solar wind stream is expected to brush past Earth's magnetic field on Dec. 26th, prompting NOAA to estimate a 35% chance of polar geomagnetic storms. High-latitude sky watchers should remain alert for auroras.
Here is a locator map:
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