Glowing skies on Tuesday -- A sign from God?

The nighttime sky may glow on Tuesday. Is it a sign from God? You decide.

UPDATE: Current predictions now hold that the CME will reach Earth on Jan. 24 at 14:18UT (+/- 7 hours).

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Maybe, but it does have a scientific explanation. Early this morning, the sun belched the largest coronal mass ejection (CME) at the Earth since 2005. CME's are highly charged clouds of energetic particles from the sun that can interact with the planet's magnetic field and upper atmosphere causing aurora. They can also disrupt satellites and human activity. 

Known more commonly as the Northern (or Southern) Lights, aurora are typically seen at high latitudes near the planet's poles. However, rare outbursts from the sun can cause these displays to be visible at latitudes that are more southerly. Sightings in the northern hemisphere are regular in the northern tier of the US when the sun reaches the peak of its 11 year cycle of activity. On very rare occasions, these displays can be seen as far south as Texas in the central US. 

The CME expected to strike the Earth on Tuesday may - or may not cause the sky to glow over the southern half of the United States, but a display over the northern tier of states is almost certain. 

Of more relevance however, may be the disruption the CME causes to orbiting satellites and the electrical grid on Earth.

When a CME strikes the Earth's magnetic field, the charged particles flow downward towards the Earth's magnetic poles causing what is known as a geomagnetic storm. These storms can cause electrical currents which surge through power lines. They are harmless to humans, but the electrical grids are susceptible to damage. In 1989, a famous geomagnetic storm caused a nine-hour power outage across most of Quebec, Canada. 

Fortunately, better space weather forecasting (as it is called by NASA) and improved safety measures on behalf of utilities means that these events can be predicted and measures taken to ensure the safety satellites and power grids. Still GPS and radio transmissions, particularly at high latitudes, will probably be disrupted. This will cause scheduled flights over high latitudes to be rerouted farther south and may frustrate anyone relying on a GPS device in those latitudes. 

The CME is expected to impact the Earth in the early morning hours of Tuesday, give or take up to seven hours -the science still isn't precise. If the storm turns out to be more powerful than predicted, which is possible, people looking up at the sky in the wee hours of Tuesday morning may witness the sky glow overhead. If so-enjoy the show!

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