A view of the northern lights in Elmira, N.Y., from 2011. Photo by David St. Louis
Thanks to a moderate solar flare (and actually the strongest solar flare so far this year) which erupted from the sun very early in the morning on April 11th, we have a good shot at seeing the aurora borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, here in north-central West Virginia (and a good chunk of the northern part of the U.S. for that matter). Much of the radiation from this solar flare is expected to pass through the Earth's atmosphere tonight. The interaction of these solar particles with the Earth's magnetic field is what causes the Northern Lights. Solar flares create auroras when radiation from the sun reaches Earth and interacts with charged protons in the atmosphere. The effects are greater at the magnetic poles and weaken as you move south from the Arctic or north of the Antarctic.
Astronomers use a simple index to represent the level of geomagnetic activity for a 3-hour time period known as the K-index, or Kp. The map below shows the Kp index needed for certain parts of the country to be able to see the Northern Lights.
Based on this map, the Kp index needs to be at around an 8 for us to see the Northern Lights here in north-central West Virginia. Kp for tonight is projected to be in the 6-8 range, putting us on the very southern fringe of a possible viewing. Since it looks like we will be on the southern fringe, the lights may be very low on the northern horizon, so it will be very important to follow these tips if you want to see them:
- Get out and away from city lights and street lights. These will hamper viewing. You'll want a dark and clear sky for best viewing.
- Get on a hilltop so you have a complete view of the sky and don't have your view of the horizon blocked by trees or hills.
- The lights are projected to start around 8pm EDT tonight (right after sunset), but the best viewing will be around midnight tonight.
- Folks who have photographed the lights say that cell phone cameras will not capture them. You'll need a professional grade camera shooting in night mode for best results. I am no photographer but maybe someone with some more expertise can chime in on this.
The GREAT news weather-wise is that skies should be clear to mostly clear by late afternoon and through the overnight, making for great viewing conditions.
It will be cold though with lows falling into the low to mid-30s tonight so bundle up if you plan on trying to head out and see them.
Another bit of good news for viewing tonight, the moon is just past the new moon stage and only about 10% full, which will help in decreasing light in the sky that could block viewing tonight:
I'd love to see any photos or videos you may grab tonight too (and I'm going to see what I can get). You can email them to me at plegeion@wdtv.com, or share them with me on social media. Links to my Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ pages can be found here (at the bottom of the page): http://about.me/pierce.legeion
Good luck! I hope we all get a nice treat in seeing the Northern Lights tonight!
Updated Kp forecast available here: http://www.softservenews.com/Aurora.htm
Tips on viewing the aurora and other info here: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/Aurora/
