What Is The Best Time To See The Northern Lights Tonight?

The northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, are colorful dancing lights that appear in the night sky in northern latitudes. They are caused by charged particles from the sun interacting with gases in Earth’s atmosphere, predominantly at altitudes of 60 to 200 miles. These charged particles are carried by the solar wind and follow Earth’s magnetic field lines down into the atmosphere. When the particles collide with oxygen and nitrogen, they excite the atoms and cause them to emit colorful light. While the aurora can happen anytime, it is visible only at night and during periods of high solar activity. The best places to see the northern lights are in areas closest to the North Pole, such as Alaska, Canada, Iceland, Greenland, northern Scandinavia, and Siberia. The aurora appears in many colors but most commonly green and sometimes red, blue, purple, and even pink.

Ideal Conditions

The northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, can only be seen under certain ideal conditions. The key factors that determine if the northern lights will be visible are darkness, clear skies, solar activity, geographic latitude, and winter months.

Darkness is essential for viewing the northern lights. As night falls and it gets darker, the lights become easier to see. Total darkness, with no light pollution from streetlights, buildings, or the moon, provides the best conditions. This is why locations far from cities and towns offer some of the best aurora viewing.

Clear, cloudless skies are also a requirement, as clouds will block the view of the aurora. Transparent skies with no cloud cover are ideal. Storms and snow can also obscure the lights.

Increased solar activity, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections from the sun, charge the atmosphere with energized particles. When these particles interact with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere, the aurora lights are produced. Checking the space weather forecast for heightened activity can help predict good aurora viewing.

The closer to the Earth’s magnetic poles, the stronger the auroral displays. Areas at higher geographic latitudes like Alaska, Canada, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Finland see more vibrant and frequent northern lights. Auroras occur in a ring-like zone around the poles.

The northern lights are generally only visible in winter months when nights are longer. The long hours of darkness allow more opportunity to see the aurora, especially between September and March. The winter season provides ideal conditions of darkness, clear skies, and solar activity coming together.

Sources: https://www.space.com/32601-where-to-see-northern-lights.html, https://www.hurtigruten.com/en-us/expeditions/stories/faq-northern-lights/

Solar Forecast Today

According to the 30-Minute Aurora Forecast from NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), the current solar activity level is moderate. The solar wind speed is around 400 km/s and the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) tilt angle is around -5 degrees, indicating average conditions for aurora formation. The forecast shows a 55% probability of visible aurora at latitudes around the northern US border and a 25% probability near mid-latitude locations like northern California overnight tonight.

The Aurora Dashboard from SWPC predicts a less than 5% chance of a minor solar radiation storm over the next few days. While major solar storms can produce widespread aurora displays, the relative lack of solar activity increases reliance on ideal weather conditions for viewing the northern lights at lower latitudes.

Local Weather Forecast

According to the latest forecast from the National Weather Service, the weather in Aurora, Colorado tonight will have partly cloudy skies with calm winds. Cloud cover is predicted to be around 30%, with excellent visibility conditions. The combination of limited cloud cover and good visibility makes for prime viewing conditions for the northern lights. With less obstruction from clouds, there will be an unobstructed view of any potential aurora activity in the night sky. The calm winds are also favorable, as strong gusts can distort and blur the appearance of the lights. The National Weather Service is calling for steady visibility of around 10 miles tonight. This long-range visibility allows viewers to take in the full expanse of any potential aurora, rather than just a small portion of it.

Best Viewing Locations

The northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, are best viewed in northern latitudes near the arctic circle. This is because the northern lights are caused by collisions between electrically charged particles from the sun that enter the earth’s atmosphere near the magnetic poles. The best locations are typically remote areas away from light pollution with clear dark skies.

Some of the top locations to view the northern lights include:

• Fairbanks, Alaska, USA – Fairbanks is one of the best places in North America to see the northern lights. Its location under the auroral oval means Fairbanks experiences northern light displays on average 243 nights per year. Clear skies, elevation, and minimal light pollution make Fairbanks a prime viewing location (Source).
• Tromsø, Norway – The northern Norwegian city of Tromsø is considered one of the world’s best spots to see the aurora borealis. Located over 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle, Tromsø has long winter nights perfect for northern lights viewing (Source).
• Abisko National Park, Sweden – Abisko National Park’s remote location away from light pollution combined with frequent clear skies makes it one of the best places in the world to see the northern lights. Abisko has a 90% sighting rate from late September through late March (Source).

In general, the further north you travel, the better chance you have of seeing the northern lights. Seeking out dark skies away from city lights will also increase your viewing opportunities.

Best Times to See

The early nightfall hours just after sunset can offer good northern lights viewing opportunities. As the skies darken, keep an eye out for aurora activity. Some of the earliest displays may manifest around 8 or 9pm.

However, the peak viewing time for the northern lights is around local midnight. Experienced aurora hunters report the strongest and most vibrant lights tend to occur between 11pm and 1am. During these late night hours, solar activity intensifies and the darker skies allow the colors to shine through.

Don’t give up if you don’t spot the lights right at midnight. Pre-dawn hours before sunrise are also prime time. Auroras can appear as late as 3 to 5am as solar winds continue through the night. The key is allowing enough time for the lights to potentially emerge, rather than giving up after an hour or two.

To optimize your chances, aim for the late night hours between 9pm and 2am. Patience is required, but midnight through pre-dawn offers your best opportunity to catch the magical glow of the northern lights.

Camera Settings for Photographing the Northern Lights

To properly photograph the stunning northern lights, you need to use the right camera settings. The three most important settings are ISO, aperture, and shutter speed.

Set your ISO to 1600 or higher. The northern lights are rather dim, so a high ISO allows you to capture enough light. However, too high of an ISO can create noise in your images. Start with ISO 1600 and adjust from there (Morrow, 2014).

Use a wide aperture between f/2.8 to f/4. A wider aperture allows more light into the camera sensor. This helps properly expose the northern lights. However, make sure your foreground is still in focus by using an appropriate shutter speed (Capture the Atlas, 2022).

Set your shutter speed to 15-25 seconds. This gives enough time to capture the movement of the northern lights. Use your camera’s self-timer or remote trigger to avoid blurring caused by pressing the shutter. Experiment with different shutter speeds for different effects.

Use a wide angle, fast lens. A focal length between 14-24mm works well to capture the expanse of the northern lights. Combine it with a fast aperture of f/2.8 or wider. This allows sufficient light for shorter exposures.

Photography Tips

A few key things to keep in mind when photographing the northern lights:

Use a tripod. Since you’ll be working with longer exposures to capture the lights, a tripod is essential for eliminating camera shake and keeping your shots sharp and steady. Sturdy tripods like the Manfrotto BeFree Tripod are best for stability.

Use manual focus. Autofocus often struggles in low light situations, so switch to manual focus instead. Prefocus on something like a tree or rock before the lights appear. That way, you’ll be ready to capture the action when it starts.

Practice exposures beforehand. Check your camera’s manual to see how long of an exposure it can handle. Take some test shots at various exposures like 10, 15, and 20 seconds to get a feel for what works best. This will prepare you to dial in the right settings when the auroras start dancing.

Viewing Tips

To maximize your chances of seeing the northern lights, here are some key viewing tips to keep in mind (source):

Dress as warmly as possible in layers. Temperatures can drop well below freezing at night, so wearing proper cold-weather clothing is essential. Wear warm boots, thick socks, thermal underwear, pants, a heavy jacket, hat, gloves, and scarf. Having hand and toe warmers can also help. Being comfortable and warm will allow you to stay outside watching the skies longer.

Allow your eyes time to adjust to the darkness. Don’t look at any bright lights or screens for at least 20-30 minutes before viewing. This will maximize your night vision and allow your pupils to dilate for optimal northern lights viewing.

Be patient and watchful. The lights can appear suddenly and then disappear just as quickly. Keep scanning the skies and don’t give up after just a few minutes. The lights may fade and then become bright again. Having persistence and patience is key.

Conclusion

To summarize, the best time to see the northern lights tonight will depend on solar activity, clear skies, and getting away from light pollution. The latest solar forecast indicates moderate activity, so the aurora may be visible if local weather permits. For your location, aim for darker areas with open views to the north, like nearby nature areas. The ideal viewing window will be between 10pm and 1am when skies are dark but the aurora remains active. Use a DSLR camera with manual settings to capture photos of the lights. Adjust ISO, shutter speed, and aperture based on lighting conditions. Attempt long exposure shots on a tripod. Dress very warmly and allow your eyes to fully adapt to the darkness. With some patience and luck, hopefully you will catch a glimpse of the magical aurora borealis tonight. Just remember to keep checking the forecast and sky conditions to know when to look up. Clear skies and happy viewing!