The sun will go into the Northern Hemisphere, which suggests some sensational auroras might show up in the coming weeks.

At specifically 9:01 UTC (5:01 a.m. EDT) on March 20, our star will cross the celestial equator throughout the vernal (spring)equinoxEarth’s axis will be side-on to the sun, indicating there will be more daytime in the Northern Hemisphere from then till June’s solstice.

The start of huge spring, it likewise signifies the start of the end of aurora-hunting season north of the equator, considering that areas around the Arctic Circle at 66 degrees north will see daybreaks and sundowns substantially earlier and later on, respectively, up until the solstice. Darkness will quickly remain in brief supply.

Aurora season might go out with a bang thanks to celestial geometry. An equinox happens when Earth’s axis is entitled perpendicular to the sunwith every area on earth getting approximately equivalent quantities of sunshine and darkness. That can develop an “equinox effect,” resulting in an increased probability of auroral activity around the spring and fall equinoxes.

Related: 32 spectacular images of auroras seen from area

The northern lights happen when charged particles from the sun– called the solar wind– engage with Earth’s electromagnetic fieldThroughout the equinoxes, there’s a greater possibility of beneficial interactions in between the solar wind’s magnetic orientation and Earth’s electromagnetic field due to the fact that Earth’s magnetic poles are at an ideal angle to the instructions of the solar wind’s circulation, according to Live Science’s sis website Space.com

“Earth’s magnetic field and the sun’s magnetic field are essentially aligned better at the equinoxes, and so you’re more likely to get an exactly inverted alignment around the equinoxes just because it’s perpendicular,” Tom Kerssauthor of “The Northern Lights: The Definitive Guide to Auroras” (Collins, 2021) and primary aurora hunter on Hurtigruten Astronomy Cruises, informed Live Science. “There is an increased efficiency of transfer because it opens up holes on the bow shock of the Earth’s magnetic field and allows solar wind to be injected into the geospace environment.”

It suggests more geomagnetic disruptions, which are practically two times as most likely in spring and fall compared to winter season and summertime, according to David Hathaway, a solar physicist at NASA’s Ames Research.

This positioning causes a greater frequency of auroral screens throughout these durations, though not always at more southerly latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. That depends upon whether there are effective geomagnetic storms, which are not seasonal; rather, they depend upon the sun’s activity, which is peaking now due to solar optimum

Will aurora season go out with a bang? That stays to be seen, however the “equinox effect” can continue for a number of weeks, so those in northern latitudes ought to be on high alert.

Jamie Carter is a self-employed reporter and routine Live Science factor based in Cardiff, U.K. He is the author of A Stargazing Program For Beginners and lectures on astronomy and the natural world. Jamie frequently composes for Space.com, TechRadar.com, Forbes Science, BBC Wildlife publication and Scientific American, and lots of others. He modifies WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com.