Are The Northern Lights Visible In Our Area For The Next Few Days?

Have you ever looked up in the sky and said, "It's a bird...It's a plane...It's some weird bright green light in the sky." That my friends could be the Northern Lights. If you've never seen it before then you could be in for a treat next week.

If you are in the northern United States near the Canadian border this Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday night then you could be in luck. The Northern Lights (or aurora borealis) might be seen in the skies around midnight and it's a phenomenon that you don't want to miss.

There have been reports of strong displays of aurora in the night sky recently but they have been around the Arctic Circle. Our friends from the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (NOAA SWPC) are telling us that high activity is coming and that could mean that the Northern Lights might be seen as far south as Oregon.

As always, a lot of it depends on the local and space weather. Heavy cloud cover will make it difficult to see the aurora borealis. To way to get the best view is to find a dark area that's away from lights.

NOAA SWPC also recommends that you give yourself 20 minutes to let your eyes adjust to the darkness. Maybe the pirates were on to something when they wore an eye patch to help with the dark.

If your homeschooling this year and want to do something different with your students/kids, then this could be the answer...If you don't mind keeping them up till midnight.

Go here, if you want to find the best way to see or photograph the Northern Lights.