BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Aurora Borealis, more commonly known as the Northern Lights, has been spotted across upstate New York on Thursday evening. And if clouds continue to clear across Buffalo and Western New York, that could also be the case tonight.
A strong solar flare and coronal mass ejection (CME) erupted from the sun Thursday, and with the Earth's orientation and rotation around the sun, this CME is expected to reach and impact the Northern Hemisphere.
The Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) Friday rated this event as a "G3" (strong) geomagnetic storm, meaning there could be potential implications on low orbit satellites, space craft, and communication systems around the North Pole on Thursday night through Saturday morning.
But the visible result of this CME will be the Aurora Borealis, more commonly known as the Northern Lights. The SWPC projects that this particular event could allow for the lights to dip as far south as the Northeast, Upper Midwest and Pacific Northwest.
The tricky part of viewing the Northern Lights in Buffalo, though, is the forecast. It was a cloudy and rainy Thursday, but clouds are now slowly starting to clear Thursday night. But reports of the Aurora came in early Thursday evening upstate, so the potential is there. A similar forecast is in place for Friday night as well, where some clouds could limit seeing the show.
To view the northern lights, you want to be in an area with minimal to no light pollution. Thankfully, the moon also is not expected to rise until early Friday morning.
Look north, a little above the horizon. It may take 20 minutes or so for your eyes to adjust to the darkness of the night sky, but in the distance you'll be able to see a faint green glow. That's the Aurora Borealis!
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