Second solar storm extends possibility of Aurora Borealis sightings in US

(Credit: REUTERS/COURTESY OF DAVID CARTIER, SR./NASA/HANDOUT)Swirls of green and red appear in an aurora over Whitehorse, Yukon on the night of September 3, 2012 in this NASA handout image.

Many people go to far lengths, traveling to Canada or Iceland just to get a good look at the Aurora Borealis.

Residents from Oregon to Buffalo, N.Y., might be in luck as the Aurora Borealis' visible reach will be expanded due to the expected upcoming second solar storm.

"The second of the expected coronal mass ejections (CMEs) has arrived, and arrived in good agreement with the predicted arrival times. As expected, an initial look shows this CME is stronger than the first," released NOAA's Space Prediction Weather Center in Boulder, Colo.

In line with this, scientists have suggested that the solar radiation of the storms will send the Aurora Borealis into an expansion beyond the usual places they are visible.

"In a good aurora, you can see color with a naked eye, it's quite beautiful." said Buffalo Astronomical Association's Alan Friedman to Buffalo News, as reported by USA Today.

According to the same report, an astronomical map provided by the Portland Oregonian tells the best and worst places to spot the expanded Borealis.

The Borealis' visibility is expected to soar to a level of 8 on Friday.

According to Jim Todd, the director of space science education for the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, if the colors' visibility index is gauged between level 6 and 8 it is definitely within a visible range.

Todd added that the Borealis might also be visible at most in northern Canada, and Oregon's visibility could be faint.

"People could be looking right at the lights and not even know it because it's very faint," Todd said.

The scientist added that the best chance of seeing the northern lights is as far away from city lights as possible.

Those living in New England and the Pacific Northwest have the best chances of seeing the northern lights from Friday to Saturday, as well as those living in Seattle, Minneapolis, Detroit, Buffalo, Milwaukee and Burlington.

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