Northern lights forecast: Will the aurora borealis be visible over NY this weekend?
NEW YORK - The aurora borealis could be visible over different parts of the United States this weekend, including New York.
According to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center, it won't be likely for people in parts of some of the most northern U.S. states to catch glimpses of the lights on Sunday night.
The 'viewline,' the mark that represents the southernmost locations from which you may see the aurora on the northern horizon, extends east to west across the United States.
(NOAA)
Besides New York, the following states are above, partially above or very close to the ‘viewline’ and might be able to spot the aurora’s lights:
- Idaho
- Maine
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Montana
- New Hampshire
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Vermont
- Washington
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
According to NOAA, the brightness and location of the northern lights is typically shown as a green oval, which turns red when the aurora is forecasted to be more intense.
What time will the northern lights be visible tonight?
Though not likely, the NOAA suggests prime viewing times typically fall within an hour or two of midnight, spanning from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Last month, the sky around the world was filled with brilliant colors of green, pink, purple and red from the northern lights after a massive sunspot the width of 17 Earths spewed solar flares, leading to geomagnetic storm activity reaching Level 5 "extreme" conditions.
Sam Kosmas, with FOX 5 DC, helped contribute to this report.