Historic geomagnetic storm activity not over yet, OMSI expert says

Jenna Deml
·2 min read
2

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Late Friday night and early into Saturday morning, much of the western hemisphere, including the Pacific Northwest, was able to see the Northern Lights due to extreme geomagnetic storm activity.

In case you missed it, OMSI’s Director of Space Science Education Jim Todd told KOIN 6 News there may be another chance Saturday night between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. since the geomagnetic activity, or Kp levels, were at a historic high of 9, the highest in nearly 20 years.

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“Everybody throughout the United States, from the Canadian border to the Mexico border were able to see it, which is rare,” he said.

Todd added that this activity even has the potential to rival The Carrington Event, the largest solar storm in recorded history which happened in 1859, causing electrical disruptions worldwide.

The Northern Lights from Lake Oswego, Oregon on May 11, 2024. (Courtesy: Alicia Moya-Mendez)
The Northern Lights from Lake Oswego, Oregon on May 11, 2024. (Courtesy: Alicia Moya-Mendez)

However, Todd noted that modern infrastructure is built to specifically withstand any solar flare damage to the power grid as we know it. So any viewers can just enjoy the colorful display, which will still likely maintain a high level of activity.

“The NOAA is expecting that the storm will continue [Saturday]” he said. “But we don’t know if it’s going to be a level 7 or 8 or 9, at the top. But even if it’s a 7 or 8 it’s still going to be a good storm, but it might be a little fainter than [Friday].”

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Additionally, if you want to document the auroras, Todd suggests using the time exposure on your smartphone photo app to get a vivid view. Without a camera, the storm may appear to look like a haze with brief flashes of red and green at its strongest points.

“If you can put it on a long exposure and get it down to about 1600 ISO and adjust the shutter speed, all you have to do is take a three or four second shot and you’ve got yourself a picture,” he noted.

Furthermore, Todd emphasized your greatest chances of best viewing comes when away from city lights and pointing towards a clear northern horizon.

In a statement to KOIN 6 News, the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management said they “have been in touch with power and communications companies in case they experience an interruption. No significant interruptions have been observed.”

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