Get ready, New Yorkers, for a breathtaking celestial show! For the first time in years, the Northern Lights could grace the skies over New York on Thursday night, October 3, 2024. The aurora borealis should be visible much farther south than usual on Thursday night because of a powerful solar flare, providing a rare chance for skywatchers across the northern U.S. to catch a glimpse of the dazzling light display.
The spectacular light show follows the eruption of a coronal mass ejection-or CME-from the surface of the sun early this week. When the blast of solar material makes contact with Earth’s magnetic field, the outcome is a geomagnetic storm. Generally speaking, the Northern Lights stay toward the Arctic, but the storm’s intensity- a G2 or G3 rating- representing moderate to strong- is putting pressure on the aurora farther south, possibly as far south as northern New York and beyond.
“One of the special things about this event is that it can be seen by those living in areas where the Northern Lights are not usually visible,”
said a NOAA representative with the agency’s Space Weather Prediction Center.
“The solar activity enables the aurora to be seen as south as New York City, Ill., and even westward into Ore.”
If you’re looking to catch the show, the best window to see the aurora will be between 10 PM and 3 AM. Viewers in northern New York, Vermont, Illinois, and Michigan should have a great chance of seeing the lights, provided skies are clear. Prime viewing states include Montana, North Dakota, and Minnesota, although viewers a little farther south in places like Iowa or Nebraska could get lucky, too.
However, those in the New York area are in luck: experts recommend heading to darker, more rural areas for the best view. City lights can drown out the spectacle, so it is usually best to avoid urban centers and look toward the northern horizon.
(As of the above image here in Central New York, those bright strands of green and purple have the potential to be seen beginning later Thursday evening.)
While images of the Northern Lights often depict bright greens and purples streaking across the sky, don’t be surprised if the colors are completely more subtle in person.
“In real time, the lights might look more like soft glows or faint dancing curtains of light,”
says a NOAA scientist.
“But depending on the intensity of the storm you could still see green, pink, and maybe even purple.”
If you happen to capture a shot, the long exposure settings on your phone or camera would enhance the colors. Even faint lights, the fact that one can see them at all from New York, makes it a very exciting rarity!
Can’t make it out tonight? That’s okay. Depending on weather conditions, the Northern Lights may be visible again on Friday, October 4. A cold front should clear the skies, providing a possible viewing window.
This serves as a catch for the experienced astronomer, the aficionado, and the casual skywatcher alike. Geomagnetic storms of this kind are happening more and more as we approach the peak of the 11-year solar cycle. While sometimes a solar storm could interfere with satellites, or even GPS systems, it sometimes gives us a front-row seat to one of nature’s most wondrous light displays.
