Clear, dark skies are best for viewing an aurora, the University of Alaska Fairbanks says. What are the two bright lights over Pennsylvania? The strongest lights tend to appear between 9pm and 2am, though the best sightings often occur between 11pm and midnight. If the events are strong enough, they could be seen as far south as the Lehigh Valley. But, its also the ideal place to view the breathtaking Northern Lights in Pennsylvania. By Arielle Weg Published: Aug 18, 2022. Where can I see the Northern Lights tonight? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 11 Amazing Tree House Resort Options for Families, 25 Delicious Protein Banana Bread Recipes for Any Occasion. Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, is an astronomical phenomenon that causes colorful lights to appear in the sky . This is a short-term forecast of the location and intensity of the aurora. As of Thursday April 14th, a moderately strong G2-class Geomagnetic Storm remains underway. If youre on a mountain away from light pollution, youll get the best results. So, if Pennsylvania isnt near you or if youre looking for a change of scenery, you have plenty of other options. Keep an eye to the sky tonight and early parts of tomorrow morning as our state, as well as the rest of the Northeast is under a Geomagnetic Storm Watch. These beautiful colors are a natural phenomenon that many people put on their bucket list. A large solar flare on Thursday could cause a strong geo-magnetic storm making the Aurora. The northern lights might show up a lot farther south tonight, tomorrow, and Friday, perhaps even near you. An aurora appeared Wednesday night just north of Bismarck, N.D. Northern Lights could be visible from Pennsylvania the next few nights It will be worth checking on our northern horizon after the skies grow dark tonight, tomorrow night and Friday night. Bz is the solar wind's magnetic orientation in the up/down direction. In 2016, NOAASWPCshared the operational OVATION code (written inIDL) with the UK Met Office in the UK. The lights appear in many forms from patches or scattered clouds of light to streamers, arcs, rippling curtains or shooting rays that light up the sky with an eerie glow. The northern parts of Fennoscandia belongs to the maximum auroral zone. Weather permitting, northern lights displays could be visible directly overhead in some northern communities and visible toward the northern horizon from slightly lower northern latitudes. The area of a visible aurora is greater because it can be seen at spots other than 90 degrees directly up (straight above your head). In 2013, Newell upgraded the OVATION Prime model so that it would more accurately capture large geomagnetic storms. They typically occur closer to the North Pole, near Alaska and Canada. (WHTM) - Pennsylvania residents may get a chance to see the Northern Lights this week due to a geomagnetic storm. However, there are times when they're solid white with no colors at all. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia newsletters. A strong solar storm. A stunning display of the Northern Lights . The Northern Lights were seen over the weekend in Sullivan County, and an area photographer was able to capture the phenomenon. While not all of those CMEs are expected to hit Earth, there are several that could potentially do so in short succession, according to scientists. The aurora does not need to be directly overhead but can be observed from as much as a 1000 km away when the aurora is bright and if conditions are right. If you use a windshield cover, you can at least forget about scrapping the ice off your windshield to save some time and hassle. It is closely related to the ground induce currents that impact electric power transition. The green ovals turn red when the aurora is forecasted to be more intense. Charged particles (coronal mass ejection) from the solar flare will reach the earth Sun. PENNSYLVANIA Pennsylvanians may catch a rare glimpse of the Northern Lights Monday evening, due to a solar storm expected to hit Earth. 2 Hour Kp Max. They are present most of the time, but they can only be seen by the human eye when its dark outside. In the coast of Ice Sea in North-Norway you will see auroras almost every evening when the sky is . Life Family Fun: Magazine for Entire Family. With Northern Lights, you can get a live aurora borealis forecast app for any location in the world. February 27, 2023 12:33 pm . The light show, also called the aurora borealis, will likely be visible from states along the northern border, but may also be seen from further south, in states such as Pennsylvania, Oregon, Utah and Missouri. The National Weather Service has created a graphic (below) indicating what areas are more likely to see the Northern Lights. Get more stories delivered right to your email. Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, is an astronomical phenomenon that causes colorful lights to appear in the sky. 01:51. If you use a windshield cover, you can at least forget about scrapping the ice off your windshield to save some time and hassle. Choose your view: National Weather Service. In other words, a series of "sun burps" are currently . Copyright 2023, Life Family Fun. It will impact the Earth's magnetosphere which may then allow the aurora borealis or "Northern Lights" to be visible far enough south that many across the northern United States will have a chance to see them. These . There are a few places in PA where you can see the Northern Lights. Studying the aurora in Canada. The OVATION (Oval Variation, Assessment, Tracking, Intensity, and OnlineNowcasting) model is an empirical model of the intensity of the aurora developed at the Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory by Patrick Newell and co-workers1. "It is rare that we get a magnetic storm powerful enough to allow us to see. A once-neutral gas transforms into an electrically reactive state of matter known as plasma.. Specific colors are affected by altitudes. Geomagnetic responses are likely to escalate to G3 or strong conditions on August 17 due to the arrival at or near Earth of multiple coronal mass ejections that have departed the sun. The latest 24 hours of image frames comprising the Northern and Southern hemisphere loops (with time-tagged file names) are available:Northern,Southern, The most recentNorthern and Southern Hemisphere images (with static file names) are available:Northern,Southern. The aurora directly impacts HF radio communication and GPS/GNSS satellite navigation. This is how it is for electrons facing the increasing neutral density of the upper atmosphere.. G3 storms are categorized as strong and often result in mid-latitude auroras. Northern Lights Forecast . A G3 storm has the potential to drive the aurora further away from its normal region, which may result in portions of the Aurora Borealis being seen over Pennsylvania, Iowa, and to northern Oregon. PENNSYLVANIA A massive geomagnetic storm that hurled a stream of northern lights-producing plasma toward Earths magnetic field has intensified, meaning chances are better that Pennsylvania residents will be treated to an ethereal aurora borealis display this week. Lancaster Mennonite wins district championship, Millersburg wins first District title in over 30, Midstate school donating diapers to help families, Friendship Communitys Annual Art Auction, Middle and Upper School Program at Harrisburg Academy, Valerie Pritchetts Maple BBQ Chicken & Oatmeal Chocolate, Whats Happening at the West Shore Theatre, Neuropathy with Madeira Chiropractic Wellness Center. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations Space Weather Prediction Center, once these particles meet Earths magnetic field Wednesday night, the result will be a G3 geomagnetic storm. In Pennsylvania, much of the state, including the Philadlephia and Pittsburgh areas, is expected to receive rain on Thursday. "There's a geomagneticstorm headed our way that could be strong enough to produce auroraas far south as Philadelphia, but the peak of that storm is unfortunately forecasted to arrive before sunset. Auroras possible Sun night New England-Great Lakes pic.twitter.com/Nq03C2gFN8, NWS Eastern Region (@NWSEastern) July 14, 2017. G3 storms have the potential to require voltage corrections, create GPS issues and disrupt satellites. B . Read more IVAN PETROV / AP You will receive your first email soon. Here are tips to view the northern lights in the Philadelphia region. Its recommended to look for the lights a few hours after the sun sets. According to Space.com, the geomagnetic storms will result from interactions between the strong solar wind blowing from a hole in the upper atmosphere of the Sun, called the corona, and the Earths magnetic field.. For many people, the aurora is a beautiful nighttime phenomenon that is worth traveling to arctic regions just to observe. Coudersport, PA 16915 The northern lights may shine over Pennsylvania this week, according to lehighvalleylive.com.. A series of coronal mass ejections, which are plasma bursts from the sun, are expected to cause the aurora borealis to be visible farther south than usual on August 17 and 18. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'paweatheraction_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_3',152,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-paweatheraction_com-medrectangle-4-0'); A significant snowstorm is less than 12 hours away from impacting the area. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. The two maps show the North and South poles of Earth respectively. Aurora borealis was not visible early Thursday in the Lehigh Valley, but there's a chance the northern lights could be seen tonight. During solar storms, the sun emits electrically charged ions that move away in a stream of plasma, an ionized gas, known as the solar wind. The vivid colors glow when the plasma slams into the Earths ionosphere about 60 to 80 miles above the planets surface. Sleep in a Log Cabin Under the Northern Lights in Alaska. Keep an eye to the sky tonight and early parts of tomorrow morning as our state, as well as the rest of the Northeast is under a Geomagnetic Storm Watch. The aurora is an indicator of the current geomagnetic storm conditions and provides situational awareness for a number of technologies. Save a stage play for another day. Rare, all-red auroras are produced by high-altitude oxygen, at heights of up to 200 miles. The storms are also a potential worry for airlines, which will have to monitor radiation levels and potentially reroute planes. Usually only Scotland and parts of northern . Auroral displays appear in many colors although pale green and pink are the most common. (WHTM) Pennsylvania residents may get a chance to see the Northern Lights this week due to a geomagnetic storm. Geomagnetic storms are expected to. By adding data from the NASA TIMEDGUVIinstrument, Newell et al., were able to expand the model to include the larger storm values of Kp of 8 and 9. 2 Hour Kp Average. Displays of aurora peak at the . In February, a geomagnetic storm knocked 40 SpaceX satellites out of orbit. Northern lights forecast. Recommended equipment and settings to take great photos of the northern lights. The lights are seen above the magnetic poles of the northern and southern hemispheres. According to @NWSSWPC, a geomagnetic storm category G3 is predicted tonight & early Thursday.The Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) may be seen as far south as Pennsylvania to Iowa to Oregon. It is the only way for most people to actually experience space weather. Stargazers flock to Cherry Springs State Park, the darkest spot on the Eastern Seaboard, all year around. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Of course, Presque Isle is a beautiful Pennsylvania park that is still worth visiting though. However, this also varies. 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