We have a chance to see the Northern Lights tonight into Friday.
A large solar flare erupted on the surface of the sun on Tuesday, sending a burst of plasma and magnetic field hurling toward Earth.
This will likely trigger a geomagnetic storm tonight into Friday, making the Northern Lights visible across much of the northern United States, including Wisconsin.
According to NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, parts of the northern Plains, upper Midwest and Great Lakes states, and the Northeast may see the Northern Lights Thursday night.
The “view line” showed by the red line on the image below shows how far south the aurora may be visible on the northern horizon.
With a window of clear to partly cloudy conditions around Wisconsin Thursday night, as long as the aurora forecast stays on track, we could see the aurora light up the sky in Wisconsin.
For optimal aurora viewing conditions, the darker the location, the better. Avoid city lights and excess light pollution if possible. The best time for viewing is usually between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. Moonlight may diminish the appearance of the aurora and with the full moon occurring earlier this week, it will likely be bright in the night sky.
Look toward the northern horizon for a typically greenish hue to the sky. A long exposure camera setting is best when trying to photograph the Northern Lights.
While the likelihood of seeing the Northern Lights is lower on Friday night, they may be visible again. However, cloud cover will likely prevent Wisconsinites from enjoying the view.
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