Czechs may be able to observe the aurora borealis, or northern lights, this weekend, due to a severe geomagnetic storm.

Petr Horálek, astronomer at the Institute of Physics in Opava, said hat the natural phenomenon might be visible on both Friday and Saturday night, with chances increasing in the following days.

“There’s a good possibility of capturing or even seeing auroras from mid-latitudes like the Czech Republic and Slovakia this Friday and Saturday nights,” Horálek explained.

“This is due to the Sun’s active phase, which has produced ten powerful solar flares in the last 24 hours. These eruptions are expected to send plasma clouds hurtling towards Earth tonight, potentially triggering geomagnetic storms that could last through the weekend.”

The celestial event comes as a result of at least four coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from the Sun, which will see large amounts of plasma and magnetic flux emitted from our closest star.

Auroras witnessed from the Czech Republic are typically faint. Inexperienced observers might confuse them with light pollution or faint reddish glows. However, this weekend presents favorable conditions for observation.

“The moon, which can often wash out the phenomenon with its brightness, is currently in a new phase,” Horálek noted. “Weather forecasts also look promising, especially for Friday night.”

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