How to view the Northern Lights in the US this weekend

Northern Lights they are scheduled to appear again in the next few days, washing the sky over the US-Canadian border in a beautiful display of color. Here’s how you can view the amazing natural light show of the aurora borealis.

According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Center for Local Weather Prediction (SWPC), northern US states can see the Northern Lights from October 4and the display is expected to continue until Oct. 6. Some lows in the midwest to Oregon may catch glimpses of the aurora borealis, or better chances at the end of the state.

This weekend’s aurora is the result of strong G3 geomagnetic storms he predicted that he would come to Earth in the next three dayswith SWPC issuing Geomagnetic Storm Watches through Sunday. Fortunately, these storms should be more glorious than disturbing. Although geomagnetic storms can cause problems such as power outages and radio interference, the SWPC predicts that the “limited, minor impacts on certain technical infrastructure” that can occur during these storms “can largely be minimized.” Thus, you can enjoy viewing the Northern Lights without any worries.

How to get the best view of the Northern Lights

While you can’t control the weather or the cloud cover that hides the Northern Lights, you can take some steps to ensure you get the best view possible.

First, you should check that you are looking up at the right time. Searching for the Northern Lights before sunset will leave you disappointed, as auroras are rarely seen during the day. Instead, you should try it at night when the dark sky gives the Northern Lights a different background. According to the SWPC, the best time to view the aurora borealis is between 10pm and 2am.

You should also try to view the aurora from somewhere with as little light pollution as possible. If you’re willing to travel, a certified Dark Sky Place near the US-Canada border should provide excellent visibility. These areas have been independently reviewed and recognized as having minimal light pollution, allowing for excellent views of the night sky.

Even if you can’t go to one of these places, you still have to go out and look up. When conditions are right, auroras can be seen from more than 600 miles away.

What causes the aurora?

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Although auroras can also be caused by solar flares, we can thank coronal mass ejections for this particular display. As the name suggests, a coronal mass ejection is when the Sun ejects significant amounts of plasma and magnetic field from its corona, the outermost layer of its atmosphere.

The resulting solar wind then travels towards Earth, although it may take some time to arrive. Even a fast coronal mass ejection can take most of a day to get here, while radiation from solar flares can take up to eight minutes.

Upon arrival, most of the solar wind is deflected away from Earth by the planet’s magnetic field. Not all of it is returned to the atmosphere, and some charged ion particles enter the designated area. Such particles travel to cooler regions of Earth where the magnetic field is weaker, colliding with oxygen and nitrogen atoms while there.

This chemical reaction creates the colorful lights that make up the aurora. If it is found in the Northern Hemisphere it is called aurora borealis, while those in the Southern Hemisphere are called aurora australis.