5/9/2023 0 Comments Northern lights in usa![]() The darker the better so usually the best time to see the northern lights is from Midnight to 3 a.m. To see the northern lights, you need darkness. What are the Best Hours to See the Northern Lights? The map below shows what Kp Index needed for a visible aroura at specific latitudes. The higher the number the more electrically charged particles are being released from the sun and the more active and brighter the aurora will be. The Kp Index is a 0-9 scale that is used to characterize the magnitude of geomagnetic storms. On the Geophysical Institute forecast, you will notice the Kp Index. > Click here to Geophysical Institute Forcast. The University of Alaska Fairbanks’s Geophysical Institute has a longer range Aurora Forecast that you can see the predictions for the next couple of days. > Click here to see the NOAA’s Northern Lights Forecast. This map gives a 20 to 40-minute forecast with a color-coded probability of seeing a visible aurora. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Weather Service (NWS) provide a real-time aroura forecast map. Where Can I Find the Northern Lights Forecast? There are historical records that indicated that the northern lights have been seen as far south as Colombia and China during a massive solar event in 1859. A coronal mass ejection can greatly expand the visible range and it isn’t unheard for states in the north-central region such as Ohio or Wyoming to see the lights. On a regular night with limited solar activity, the northern lights are likely limited to hundreds of miles wide band that encompass the Arctic Circle (66 degrees North). How Far South Can You See the Aurora Borealis? These states include Idaho, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and Washington. The northern lights are regularly seen in the darkest regions of the northern continental United States. Outside of these months, the long summer day where the sun barely sets and the lights cannot be seen. The prime season in Alaska is mid-September to late April. state for seeing the northern lights is Alaska. ![]() Where Can you See the Northern Lights in the US?Īs their name suggests, the further north you are in the United States the more likely you are to see the Northern Lights. In the Southern Hemisphere, they are known as Aurora Australis or Southern Lights. In the Northern Hemisphere, the aurora is known as the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights. The bands are hundreds of miles wide that roughly overlap the Arctic and Antarctic Circles. There are two aurora bands centered around Earth’s magnetic poles. The aurora appears to dance across the sky because of the shifting combinations of these magnetic and electrical forces and the atmospheric currents. Purple – nitrogen, above 60 miles in altitude.Blue – nitrogen, up to 60 miles in altitude.Red – oxygen, above 150 miles in altitude.Green – oxygen, up to 150 miles in altitude.The aurora’s colors are dictated by which molecules are struck and at what altitude. This collusion excited the oxygen and nitrogen molecules and causes them to glow. Electrically charged particles are released from the sun where they collied with the gases in Earth’s atmosphere. How technical do you want to get? There are researches who have spent their entire career studying the Northern Lights and their causes. Things to Know about Viewing the Northern Lights in the U.S What is the Aurora Borealis?
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