A sky covered with aurora borealis, with green and violet veils would take us to Iceland or Alaska but certainly not to Andalusia. However, this display of lights and colors can be seen in various parts of Spain at the end of October.
And is that this phenomenon so typical of polar latitudes, although in its most decaffeinated version, will be seen between October 20 and 29 because of a possible geomagnetic storm. Specifically, and if the predictions are fulfilled, they would be seen in regions of Galicia, Andalusia, Catalonia and Aragon.
Why northern lights will be seen in Andalusia
Northern Lights occur when charged solar wind particles interact with the Earth’s magnetosphere.
In other words: when these ions collide with the gases (usually nitrogen and oxygen molecules) in the upper atmosphere, energy is released in the form of these green, violet, blue flashes. And depending on the altitude at which it occurs and the type of gas, the veils are of a different color.
In this case, although the northern lights usually occur far from the auroral oval, in higher latitudes, in solar storms of great magnitude, they can expand the oval towards our location.
In this regard, and according to institutions such as the Spanish Space Agency (ESA) and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a cycle of intense solar activity is taking place. Thus, they predict that between October 20 and 29 there will be the conditions to enjoy them from the Peninsula. The Kp index is expected to be higher than 6.
Specifically, they could be seen in the coastal region of A Mariña, in Lugo; in the valley of the Ebro in Zaragoza; in the Costa Dorada of Tarragona, in Navarra and even in high areas of the province of Cadiz.
In any case, to try to find them in their maximum splendor, the ideal is to move away from urban areas and sources of light pollution and to be located to the north between 22:00 and 2:00 hours.
For the occasion it would be advisable to look for areas in mountainous areas of Cadiz and the various Starlight Reserves in Andalusia.