Possible Northern Lights Viewing

The northern lights, or Auroras, are something we don't normally get to see across the Stateline, but tonight it is possible we will get a shot to see them! Auroras across the globe could be extra bright tonight due to a severe solar storm that is impacting Earth. Large geomagnetic storms have the ability to mess with the magnetic field of the Earth, and can even cause power outages.

Some viewers got a great show early this morning in places like Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and North and South Dakota. The red area that covers the majority of Illinois would be the viewing area if a very strong flare hit, ranked at Kp9. The yellow represents a solar flare strength Kp7, and the green at Kp5. However, it is very difficult to forecast for space phenomenon and hard to tell how far south the Northern Lights will be visible. We do have nice viewing conditions to see them tonight, though with mainly clear skies and light winds. Temperatures will be a little chilly though with lows in the mid 20s.

If you decide to try and check out the Northern Lights tonight, try and get away from the city lights and any light pollution. The lights were very visible this morning from 3am to dawn, so that might be a good shot to see them tomorrow morning. Make sure to look north in the sky, and if you aren't seeing anything try setting up a camera with an open shutter. Typically it can see the fainter lights that our eyes normally can't see.

You can also watch a live stream here:  http://www.space.com/19195-night-sky-planets-asteroids-webcasts.html

Happy light gazing!