A large coronal hole in the sun's atmosphere is currently facing Earth, sending a blast of high-speed solar wind our way that could trigger geomagnetic storms and auroras this weekend.

The fast solar wind stream is predicted to arrive late Saturday into Sunday (Oct. 11-12), according to space weather forecasters from both NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center and the U.K. Met Office. Geomagnetic activity could start picking up late Oct. 11, with the highest activity slated for between 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. EDT (0900-1700 GMT) on Oct. 12.

If the predicted minor (G1) geomagnetic storm conditions are reached on Oct. 12, auroras could be visible as far south as northern Michigan and Maine, according to NOAA's G-scale, which rates the strength of these disturbances. But given the time of year, j

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