Northern Lights could get even stronger with sun's 'last gasp' finale

Aurora Borealis, also known as Northern Lights, could get even stronger within the next two years due to the sun's "last gasp" finale, according to a space weather physicist.

Solar activity has an 11-year rhythm which peaks with what's known as the solar maximum, which is a frenzy of sunspots and eruptions, before it subdues to a solar minimum.

The sun is understood to be approaching the end of its latest solar maximum or it has already passed.

And that's huge for Aurora Borealis becoming more prominent here on Planet Earth as it's in the aftermath of the solar maximum happening when this phenomenon becomes even stronger, reports Space.com.

That's because during the solar maximum, eruptions dominate but after that, cooler, darker regions in the sun's atmosphere that release high-speed solar wind become more common. These are called coronal holes.

Northern Lights, also known as Aurora Borealis, could get even stronger within the next two years / AFP via Getty Images

As well as this turbulence, Tamitha Skov, a space weather physicist, told Space.com there's another late-cycle twist what she describes as the sun's "last gasp".

She said: "Almost all cycles, if not every cycle... They all have these last gasps during the declining phase.

"Typically, the last gasp will come within about two-to-three-years before solar minimum. So, within about the next year and a half to two years, we should see something.

"The chances of us getting another big G5 with these last gasps are pretty high."

National Oceanic and Atmospheric's (NOAA) most extreme level on its geomagnetic storm scale is G5, which is what Skov is referring to, and the storm which resulted in Northern Lights being visible as far south as Mexico in May 2024 is an example of this.

Elsewhere from indy100:

• In Pictures: Another spectacular display as Northern Lights burn brightly
• Mysterious blue meteor soars over Spain and Portugal in stunning footage

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