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The Aurora Borealis May Be Coming To NYC, But There's Also Some Bad News
By
Jen Carlson
Published Mar 1, 2012
Modified Mar 1, 2012
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Mar 1, 2012
Modified Mar 1, 2012
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Original photo of skyline via kiertorata
First, the good news: according to the Space Weather journal, in the next 10 years there’s a 12% chance that we'll be able to see the northern lights from Manhattan. Yes, THE aurora borealis, right here in New York City. It's actually happened before, when the Carrington Event occurred in 1859—at the time, the NY Times wrote that the people of New York City gathered on sidewalks and rooftops, adding, "the heavens were arrayed in a drapery more gorgeous than they have been for years... Such was the aurora, as thousands witnessed it from housetops and from pavements. Many imagined they heard rushing sounds as if Aeolus [a mythological Greek god] had let loose winds."
Okay, now the bad news: the solar flare event "could also leave countless people in the dark by frying power grids, communication networks and crucial satellites," according to the Daily News, causing trillions of dollars in damage, which wouldn't be repaired for years. Wired calls the event "catastrophic."
And a little bit more of the good news: the damage won't occur until after the big show in the sky, so you can totally Tweet those photos you're getting as it happens before our entire communication systems go down.
Tagged
aurora borealis
northern lights
solar flare
solar storm
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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