Aurora Borealis / Comet Updates for Portland, Oregon, Washington, Coastlines

Published 10/11/24 at 6:25 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Pacific City, Oregon) – UPDATE FRIDAY NEAR DUSK:

Still small chances to see Aurora Borealis tonight (Friday) in Washington, Oregon and along Oregon coast and Washington coast. It will depend on skies where you are. The SWPC says for tonight: “Aurora may be seen as low as Pennsylvania to Iowa to Oregon. A G3 (Strong) geomagnetic storm watch remains in place for 11 Oct, along with a G1 (Minor) watch for 12 Oct, as CME effects continue to wane.”

“Wane” is also the key: the effects are dropping. TIMING? SolarHam seems to indicate between dusk and midnight tonight will be most possible. This – if it happens at all – will be an event you cannot see with your eyes but only your camera. Keep your lenses / phones pointed north. Check the 30-minute aurora borealis forecast

BACKGROUND INFO BELOW

So far, so good it seems. The CME that hit Earth earlier Thursday afternoon has resulted in spectacular Northern Lights on the east coast, and now Oregon, Washington and the coastlines will be getting dark. This has turned out an exceptionally strong solar storm, with the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) saying it's up to a G4 in strength. Northern Lights in the Yachats area of the central Oregon coast, courtesy - Jacklyn Larsen Photography.

There are some possible sightings on Friday night early, but increasing clouds may be a problem.

Besides tonight's glowing possibilities, those on the Oregon coast and Washington coast may get to catch a glimpse of Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (C/2023 A3) in the low west horizon. You'll need good optics to catch it (like binoculars or a decent zoom lens). It's going to be extremely low, however, and just after dusk. It slowly rises in the sky over the next few weeks.

Jim Todd, astronomy expert with Portland's OMSI, said the aurora borealis has a pretty decent chance of making a stellar showing tonight (Thursday). Yet it's about 50-50, according to SolarHam.com.

“Assuming the current storm persists as forecast, observers in Oregon and Washington should start looking as soon as mid-twilight on Thursday evening,' Todd told Oregon Coast Beach Connection. “Generally, as the night goes on and your longitude passes under the greatest extent of the the northern (or southern) oval the aurora intensifies, often peaking with a massive coronal display — beams appearing to converge, pulsate, and dart nearly overhead — around local midnight. But there's no strict rule. Sometimes this happens around 10 p.m. then repeats a couple hours later. Or we get a modest coronal display around 11 p.m. or midnight, only to see the entire sky 'break open" at 2 a.m.' ”

It's a wide berth of timing tonight. Check the 30-minute aurora borealis forecast

This moving .gif is a blend of photos from the Oregon Coast Range several years ago, somewhat near Hillsboro.

When the CME first hit early Thursday, NOAA used some dramatic language: "Solar wind speeds have jumped up to 750 km/s, and a crack is opening in Earth's magnetic field. A severe G4-class geomagnetic storm is underway.”

Will you be able to see it from your backyard in Portland, Seattle, Eugene or Silverton? Not very likely, but it's possible it could be prominent enough this evening.

Wispy clouds in some areas of the two states may cause issues, which are present in Portland tonight.

Port Orford on the south coast looked like this earlier this summer, bathed in the glow of the aurora borealis.

Even so, experts say to get away from city lights, and it's entirely possible you won't be able to see it with the naked eye – but your camera may be a different story.

See Washington Coast Weather - Oregon Coast Weather - Inland Oregon Weather

“Best bet is to take a digital camera (DSLR or advance smartphones) on a tripod and take 3 to 5 seconds exposures towards the northern horizon,” Todd said. “If the picture shows some shades of green to red curtain-like images, chances are the auroras are active. Sometimes the auroras low and faint above the northern horizon, not visible to the naked eye.”

Comet A3 seen from the ISS / NASA

The CME's (coronal mass ejections) causing this may interact with the comet in an intriguing way. NOAA said one of them could take out a bit of the comet's trail. The video shows Tuesday's X flare whizzing past Comet A3.

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