Northern lights may dance over the United States on Saturday night
The night sky may turn green, pink and red as a geomagnetic storm sparks the Aurora Borealis over part of the United States this weekend. Here’s how to see it.
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory shared video of the most powerful solar flare captured since 2017 on Oct. 3. This activity from the sun could result in large geomagnetic storms, producing auroras.
The aurora borealis might make a rare appearance over the United States on Saturday night, as a geomagnetic storm is expected to create a colorful display of celestial lights.
The weekend light show is linked to a massive solar flare that erupted on the sun on Thursday, which hurled a cloud of charged particles toward the Earth. When the cloud of particles, known as a coronal mass ejection (CME), collides with the planet's atmosphere, it will produce stunning displays of green, pink and red colors.
The sky turned pink and green over State College, Pennsylvania, early on Aug. 12, 2024.
Here is everything you need to know:
Where might the aurora be visible?
People across the northern half of the United States have the best chance of seeing the aurora on Saturday night, weather permitting. This includes areas as far south as Pennsylvania, Indiana, Missouri, Colorado, Oregon and Northern California.
NOAA's aurora forecast for Saturday night. The northern lights may be visible near or just south of the red line. (NOAA/Space Weather Prediction Center)
Currently, NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) is forecasting a strong to possibly severe geomagnetic storm. This is not as big as the extreme geomagnetic storm that triggered a historic aurora outbreak in May when the aurora borealis was seen in every state, including Hawaii.
The exact timing of the aurora is still uncertain, so onlookers may need to head outside and look to the northern sky several times throughout the night.
What will the northern lights look like?
For many people, the aurora borealis will look like a red or green glow above the northern horizon. The farther north you are located, the higher in the sky the lights may appear.
Not only will people need a clear view of the northern sky, but they will need to be in a dark area away from light pollution. City lights can easily outshine the aurora, so experts recommend traveling to areas far away from cities or highways.
How to photograph the aurora
In areas farther south, the aurora might not be bright enough to see with the human eye, but it might still be captured with the help of long-exposure photography.
Most smartphones can take colorful pictures of the aurora, even if it's too dim to see with the naked eye. Experts recommend using a tripod to keep the phone's camera steady when taking a long-exposure photograph.
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