Could Solar Explosions Spark Northern Lights in Several States This Total Lunar Eclipse?

Our sun recently produced a series of solar flares that had not been seen in years. Many simultaneous coronal mass ejections (CMEs)-mighty tangles of electric energy-caused solar flares that spewed plasma and charged particles into space, according to SpaceWeather.com.

Science Times reported that the "space weather" is heading towards Earth during a complete lunar eclipse.

NOAA's modeling explained that any of those combined CMEs will encounter Earth's magnetic field between the late hours of May 25 and the early hours of May 26, 2021.

Hence, Science Times said in another report that CMEs will simultaneously reach Earth's magnetic field as a complete lunar eclipse, known as "Blood Moon," would make the entire "Super Flower Moon" red for around 15 minutes.

Additionally, a complete lunar eclipse will be apparent in the western United States in the early morning hours of May 26. This tool from Time and Date will help you figure out when and where the eclipse will be apparent.

The entire process will be visible from the Pacific Rim to the western United States. It starts at 6:11 a.m. CDT, 5:11 a.m. MDT, and 4:11 a.m. PDT.

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CMS to Cause Geomagnetic Storms; Will It Cause Bright Auroras?

The incoming CMSs could cause G2-class geomagnetic storms. SpaceWeatherLive.com said these storms would produce several hours of bright auroras in locations like Alaska, Canada's far north, Iceland, northern Scandinavia, and northern Russia across the Arctic Circle.

However, according to NOAA's charts, the aurora could be powerful enough to be seen in northern parts of the United States along the Canadian frontier.

The northern states of Washington, Idaho, and Montana are ideally placed to see both the "red moon" complete phase of the eclipse and the aurora at the same time. The whole duration of the lunar eclipse will not be visible in northern North Dakota, Minnesota, or Wisconsin, but the aurora will be visible on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

If the full moon moves into Earth's shadow in space, it is called a complete lunar eclipse. On May 26, 2021, it will last just 14 minutes and 30 seconds, which is almost to the bare minimum. This is because, rather than passing through the heart of Earth's shadow, it would pass through the northern portion of it, just 21 miles (34 kilometers) from the edge.

So while the Moon's northern limb is expected to be very light during totality, the night sky would be especially dim if you watch from a dark location. The reason for this is that the sky's largest light polluter-a new Moon-will be temporarily turned off.

As a result, the night sky will be dark for 14 minutes and 30 seconds. Since the Moon will be located around the constellation of Scorpius, which lies within the arc of our home galaxy, you will be able to see both the Northern Lights and the Milky Way if you're fortunate.

Photographer William Briscoe shot a series of a "Blood Moon and the Northern Lights" in Alaska in 2018: