NEED TO KNOW The Northern Lights may be visible tonight due to solar wind and geomagnetic storm activity. Visibility is best in northern states such as Alaska, Minnesota and Maine, but could extend further south if conditions strengthen. For the best view, find a dark spot away from city lights and check real-time aurora forecasts. The sun is putting on a show and the sky is about to get colorful! Two fast-moving streams of solar wind, along with up to two bursts of charged particles from the sun, could make the northern lights visible late Tuesday, September 15, into the early hours of Wednesday, September 16. For reference, the northern lights (northern lights) are the result of geomagnetic storms, which occur when charged particles from the sun collide with gases in Earth’s atmosphere, creating bright waves of light in the sky. Still, its visibility depends on several factors, including intensity and location. Forecasters at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Centers expect conditions to reach at least a minor G1 geomagnetic storm, while the UK Met Office says a stronger G2 blast is still possible. This means it might be worth staying up for the aurora, especially with a crescent moon gracing the night sky. In the meantime, here’s everything you need to know about this stellar event. When will the northern lights be? Visible?Northern Lights in Yellowknife.Credit: GettyIf you’ve never glimpsed the Northern Lights, you may be in luck!Look north after dark on Tuesday, September 15, and keep an eye on the sky until the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday, September 16. The most promising window is generally the darkest part of the night, after the crescent moon has set. Where will the Northern Lights be visible? Northern LightsCredit: GettyThe Northern Lights may be notoriously fickle, but it’s always worth staying awake! At G1 levels, the best odds are in Alaska and the northern parts of Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire. However, if activity briefly reaches G2, the auroral glow could extend further south, including parts of Oregon, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Colorado, Pennsylvania and New York. Lights? Photographer capturing the northern lights. Credit: Getty Find a dark spot away from city lights, ideally with a clear view of the northern sky. The darker your environment, the more vivid the colors of the aurora will appear. Remember to also monitor conditions in real time using NOAA’s 30-minute aurora forecast and space weather apps that track solar wind and magnetic field changes. How to photograph the northern lights? If you’re hoping to photograph the Northern Lights, you’ll want to keep your setup as stable as possible, as the Auroras are best captured with long exposures. But if you have a smartphone handy, it works fine. All you have to do is head to your device settings and tap on the “Night Mode” or “Pro Mode” option with similar exposure times. Read the original article in People
