Northern lights sightings reported

DAN ASTIN

Enterprise Staff Writer

Local aurora borealis or northern lights sightings were reported on Sunday, Nov. 5, a mile west of Emigrant and east of Bozeman, according to My Aurora Forecast and Alert app, available on mobile app stores.

Nicholas Vertz, a meteorologist with National Weather Service in Billings, said the Space Weather Prediction Center reported a planetary K index of 6 for the region.

According to the SWPC, a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in the event of a “Kp in the range 6 to 7, the aurora will move even further from the poles and will become quite bright and active. At this geomagnetic activity level, it might be possible to see the aurora from the northern edge of the United States.”

NWS in Pocatello, Idaho attributed the southernly light display of the previous evening to a “G3 (strong) geomagnetic storm.”

The aurora is not expected to make an appearance in the coming weeks, according to meteorologists.

Those who wish to track future aurora appearances can visit the Space Weather Prediction Center at https:// www.swpc.noaa.gov.