If you missed the northern lights on Friday night, there's a second chance coming to Earth.
Throughout Sunday, May 12, the "next major coronal mass ejections (CMEs) will begin to slam into the Earth's magnetic field," according to the USA's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), as a "secondary peak" in the current geomagnetic storm arrives.
In less academic terms, the sky should shimmer tonight.
A G4 or or greater watch is in effect, according to the NOAA. On Friday night a similar watch was in place. The scale only goes to G5. Often the watch is only at a G1 or doesn't register at all.
On Friday, May 10, millions of people around the world saw the northern lights as the first peak of the storm meant the phenomena was visible as far south as Alabama and northern California.
In Vancouver thousands gathered at places like Spanish Banks to catch a glimpse of the green and red skies, which were clearly visible to the naked eye even from downtown.
The May 12 northern lights may be as intense at the May 10 ones but in Vancouver it will likely fade early. The NOAA forecast notes that it'll decrease to a G3 storm into the early hours of May 13.
The University of Alaska Fairbank's forecast is similar.
"Auroral activity will be at its maximum peak. Highly active auroral displays will be visible overhead over all of Alaska, Canada, and the US," states the university's forecast page, noting that some parts of Mexico may also see the display low on the horizon.
Vancouver's forecast for the night show's some clouds may be in the area, but the sky should be relatively clear.
