Earth Will See Fewer Auroras For Years — But Then They'll Have A Comeback

First, the bad news for stargazers: Auroras are going dark in many parts of the world. The number of these atmospheric light shows won't bottom out for several years, which means locations far from Earth's poles — such as the UK and northern continental US — may rarely if ever see the Northern Lights during that time. But there's plenty of good news. This coming dip in auroras is normal and expected, due to what scientists know about a repeating 11-year cycle of solar activity.