A large-scale geomagnetic storm hit the northern hemisphere Sunday night, bringing the possibility of colorful waves of light known as aurora borealis, or northern lights.
While the powerful geomagnetic storms caused by disruptions in Earth’s magnetic field create beautiful aurora, they can disrupt navigation systems and satellites and create harmful currents in the power grid and pipelines, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center.
The agency predicted Sunday evening that the nighttime lights could be visible in Oregon and Northern California.
"This is not a drill," Space Watcher Live, a nonprofit astronomy website, wrote on its social media, noting that even San Francisco residents "might be able to catch a glimpse of the aurora tonight providing viewing conditions are optimal."
But the region's famously cloudy skies did not cooperate.
Bay Area residents hoping to observe any celestial phenomena were predicted to be largely out of luck, meteorologists said, with a layer of coastal fog expected to descend on the area by nightfall.
“By the time it’s dark enough to see any aurora on the West Coast the aurora would have moved to higher latitudes,” said Vahé Peroomian, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Southern California.
Geomagnetic storms occur when energy from the sun’s outermost atmosphere disrupts Earth’s magnetic field, causing bands of green and red to light up the night sky. The natural electrical phenomenon is especially visible near the North Pole, but sometimes stretches lower into Canada and the northern United States, where it is often captured by wildfire cameras.
An aurora borealis brightens the northern horizon over Wolf Lake in the Cloquet State Forest in Minnesota in 2019.
Alex Kormann/Getty Images 2019Scientists predicted that Sunday night’s geomagnetic storm could be a major disruptor, with NOAA trackers indicating that disturbances in the Earth’s magnetic field could more than double by 9 p.m.
That influx of energy had the potential to cause power grid fluctuations and increased drag on low orbiting satellites. But NOAA scientists predicted the worst impacts would be felt by people living at above 50 degrees latitude, which falls in northern Canada.
“The sun releases large quantities of energy from its core in an explosive display that we call solar flares,” said Chronicle meteorologist Gerry Díaz, who added that the flareups propel charged particles toward Earth that are deflected by the planet’s magnetic field.
As the particles slam into Earth’s atmosphere, they produce flashes of colorful light. When vast numbers of particles hit the atmosphere, they can appear to move or “dance” in the night sky.
Reach Nora Mishanec: nora.mishanec@sfchronicle.com
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A severe geomagnetic storm could create rare aurora sightings. Here's what it means for Northern California - San Francisco Chronicle
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