BOSTON-De northern lights could put on another show in Massachusetts tonight and Friday evening, according to the latest aurora forecast. You could say that New England is becoming the “new Iceland.”

The Sun has been incredibly active in recent months, releasing a series of coronal mass ejections from its surface.

This past week was one of the most active periods we have seen in years. Over the past few nights, people have been spotting the Northern Lights all over New England. The geomagnetic storm responsible for those amazing views is now diminishing.

But it’s not over yet. Another massive CME occurred on Tuesday. This resulted from a giant sunspot (AR3848) pointed directly at Earth.

Severe geomagnetic storm watch

Space weather forecasters have issued a ‘Severe G4 Geomagnetic Storm Watch’ for Thursday and Friday.

This has the potential to be another major Northern Lights event, perhaps even close to the stunning May 10 event.

Space weather models agree that this fast-moving coronal mass ejection will hit Earth’s atmosphere tonight and last for as long as twelve hours.

While auroras are never guaranteed, our chances tonight are about as high as they can be when it comes to auroral predictions.

What causes the Northern Lights and Northern Lights?

Meteorologist Jacob Wycoff explained the cause of the Northern Lights earlier this year, when the aurora borealis stunning display over the region in May after a sunspot sent electrons toward Earth.

“What happened is that those electrons interacted with our atmosphere,” he explained. “And depending on the element and the altitude at which they interacted with the atmosphere, that’s where we got the colors.”

The level of storm activity is measured using something called a ‘K-index’. In New England, if we want to have a chance of seeing aurora, we generally need a K-index of 7 or higher.

Northern Lights predicted

The current forecast for tonight is 8-9, at the top of the map.

If the geomagnetic storm arrives as advertised, auroras could be seen as far south as Texas. Certainly anyone living in the northern part of the United States would have a good shot tonight.

The weather forecasts couldn’t have been better. Any clouds that form today are expected to dissipate after sunset and we expect mostly clear skies across New England through the night.

As a reminder, if possible, find a location with minimal artificial light and an unobstructed view of the night sky.

And as always, if you take photos, we want to see and share them. Send them to [email protected]

A sunbeam may have ripped the comet’s tail off

Finally, check out this amazing image of a SOHO spacecraft currently orbiting the sun.

Remarkably, it hit the huge CME AND Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS!

Scientists think it’s possible the sun’s massive explosion tore off part of the comet’s tail. Only time will tell when the comet comes into view again on the western horizon this weekend.