Geomagnetic Field Reaches G2 Storm Levels After CME Arrival, With G1 Conditions Into Aug. 3

Q: Will the bright moon completely erase your chances of witnessing the rare auroras sparked by this unexpected solar blast?

No. The bright moon will hurt your odds, but it will not completely erase them. NOAA says the Aug. 2 CME pushed Earth to G2, or moderate, geomagnetic storm levels, with G1 to G2 activity lingering into early Aug. 3 UTC. That is strong enough to bring auroras farther south than usual, especially across northern-tier U.S. states and, if conditions briefly strengthen, possibly parts of states farther south such as New York or Idaho. The moon is a real obstacle because this event comes during short summer nights and near full-moon brightness. That washes out faint aurora, especially for people at lower latitudes, in cities, or where the display stays low on the northern horizon. In practice, the moon mainly knocks out weaker, subtler glows rather than making auroras impossible. Your chances depend more on whether the storm’s magnetic field turns southward, how fast the solar wind stays, and whether your sky is clear and dark. A sustained southward Bz can make the aurora brighter and push it farther south. Without that, even a G2 storm may produce only a faint photographic display. The best strategy is to treat this as a marginal but real opportunity: go to a dark site with a clear northern view, watch near local midnight, and check NOAA’s 30-minute aurora forecast or live space-weather apps. Even if the aurora is too faint for obvious naked-eye color, a smartphone night mode or long-exposure photo may still capture it.

3 articles · Updated · spaceweather.gov · Aug 2

02/1759 UTC marked the jump to G2 moderate geomagnetic storm levels after a coronal mass ejection reached Earth.
Additional G2 periods are expected through 02/2359 UTC, indicating the disturbance is likely to persist for several more hours.
G1 minor storming is then forecast to continue into the early UTC hours of Aug. 3, extending the event beyond the initial CME impact.

Sources

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Geomagnetic Field Reaches G2 Storm Levels After CME Arrival, With G1 Conditions Into Aug. 3

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