The northern lights event recorded across the planet during Friday night and which was related to a geomagnetic solar storm was also observed in Puerto Rico, confirmed this Saturday to The new day the Caribbean Astronomy Society (SAC).
Eddie Irizarryscientific disseminator of the SAC, explained that sightings of the phenomenon were reported from various points on the island, but only four have been confirmed so far.
“We have reports from Ciales, Añasco, Cabo Rojo and Hormigueros. There are others that we have not confirmed, such as one from Carolina, but we do not rule it out.”said Irizarry.
“We received reports from several towns, especially from places with little light pollution. We compared the times that they indicated to us with some cameras that we use to capture meteors, and although these images are not optimal because it was something slight, we were able to verify that, between 11:00 and 11:45 on Friday night, the northern lights were seen from Puerto Rico”he added.
Irizarry explained that This is not the first time that this impressive phenomenon has been sighted from Puerto Rico.
“The last times they were seen were in 1859, as documented, and also in 1921. So we can say that this event was very significant, because this sighting has not occurred for 103 years,” he highlighted, while confirming that the phenomenon could be seen from both hemispheres of the planet.
Irizarry explained that, for several days, scientists have been monitoring solar activity and identified the expulsion of energy that would affect the planet.
“What are known as coronary mass ejections came out and, then, it was already anticipated that they would be seen in some areas and it was understood that it was going to be a notable activity, which would be seen in a good part of USA“At least in the northern half,” the expert added.
“But last night reports began to emerge from Alabama, Texas, the Florida Keys and, also, there was a way in which we were able to verify that the auroras reached low latitudes, because also We found credible reports with images from Cuba and Jamaica, which is at the same latitude as us”he added.
This phenomenon, which is normally seen in regions of the planet close to the poles, It is very rare in low latitudes such as where Puerto Rico is located.. But, when a geomagnetic solar storm of this magnitude is recorded, the effect on Earth extends to areas where it cannot commonly be seen.
“When This mass interacts with the magnetic field of the Landyou can sneak a little of that material through the polesso, typically, the countries that are closest to the poles are the ones that frequently see this activity,” Irizarry commented.
The expert also pointed out that These storms are categorized just like tornadoes and hurricanes. that are experienced on Earth.
“These storms are measured at a level one to five, and this storm we experienced went up to a category five. So it reached the maximum and that is the other reason why it reached our latitude,” he said.
He added that It is not ruled out that, during the night of this Saturday and Sunday, more solar material may arrive that produces – again – the sighting of the northern lights from Puerto Rico. However, he acknowledged that it is a variable and unpredictable phenomenon.
“It is a significant event because, after this weekend, we do not know how many years it could take for it to happen again. The fact that the last documentation of the phenomenon with this intensity was from 1859 and 1921 definitely makes it a significant one.“, he pointed.
1 / 10 | Northern lights show around the world due to “extreme” solar storm. The unusually powerful solar storm hitting Earth produced the northern lights in the United States over the weekend. In this image, auroras illuminate the sky over a farm in Brunswick, Maine. -Robert F. Bukaty