Northern lights visible across section of US. Will Florida be able to see them ... again?
Less than a year ago, the northern lights amazed Florida residents, sending colors swirling through the southern sky.
Floridians were treated to the awe-inspiring sight on May 10, 2024.
This week, the northern lights were visible farther south than normal Tuesday, April 15, and they'll be visible again for some residents tonight, April 16.
Unfortunately, they won't be visible as far south as they were in 2024, so Florida residents will have to rely on online sources, friends or family to see them.
Still want to head outside for a little skygazing? Go ahead. While they won't be at their peak — that won't happen until April 21-22 — you might be able to see the Lyrid meteor shower.
A powerful solar storm has sent particles flowing from the sun that are interacting with Earth's magnetosphere in ways that are triggering the northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis.
Eruptions on the sun over the weekend sent clouds of the particles toward Earth, impacting the planet April 15-16.
A level 3 geomagnetic storm is likely, according to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, which could disrupt radio waves, some satellite operations and power grids.
The storm also means views of green and red in the sky that are more widely visible than usual.
A handful of states were able to see the northern lights Tuesday night, but they'll be visible again Wednesday, April 16.
Unfortunately, Florida is nowhere close to the "viewline" where the northern lights will be visible tonight, April 16.
In the U.S., the auroras became widely visible April 15, and should still be visible April 16, in at least parts of the these states:
Washington
Idaho
Montana
North Dakota
Minnesota
Wisconsin
A thin red "viewline" representing the southern-most locations where you might see the aurora borealis on the northern horizon extends to:
Wyoming
South Dakota
Iowa
Michigan
New York
Vermont
New Hampshire
Maine
People using long-exposure photography might capture images of the lights, even where they are not visible to the naked eye, according to AccuWeather.
Even though conditions are prime for more impending aurora shows, experts have long struggled to accurately forecast exactly when and where the phenomenon will ever occur. Even the best predictions can accurately be made only a few days or even hours in advance.
As a rule of thumb, if the weather is clear, the best view of the aurora borealis is usually within an hour or two of midnight, according to NOAA.
➤ Aurora dashboard helps you track the northern lights
➤ NOAA's 30-minute aurora forecast
A spectacular and rare sight was visible across Florida on May 10, 2024.
The aurora borealis, or northern lights, left many watchers in awe as pink and purple hues painted the night sky.
➤ See photos of northern lights in Florida as aurora borealis visible in night sky in 2024
"I'm truly in awe that I'm seeing the Northern Lights in FLORIDA! Just… incredible," David Reese posted on X from Tallahassee at the time.
Reactions posted on social media ranged from "absolutely insane" to "this is amazing."
Strong solar flares discharged from the sun caused northern lights to be visible across much of the U.S.
Though rare, Florida has seen northern lights before 2024.
In 1989, the aurora borealis appeared on the First Coast was visible in a red glow tinged with pale green and white streaks, the Florida Times-Union reported.
Northern lights were visible as far as South Florida in 1981, though reports indicate they were much less impressive.
Then there was the Carrington Event of 1859 tinting the sky bright red and green which may have been the most powerful solar flare on record, according to NOAA.
An increase in solar activity has more frequently fueled "space weather" that produces the right conditions for northern lights to flourish.
Regions of intense magnetic activity known as sunspots are proliferating on the solar surface and are capable of releasing intense bursts of radiation resulting in solar flares that can hurtle toward Earth at the speed of light, according to NOAA.
Some of the flares can be accompanied by coronal mass ejections, or clouds of plasma and charged particles.
Those ejections can collide with Earth's magnetosphere to produce geomagnetic storms that unleash spectacular views of the northern lights in parts of the country where auroras are not often visible.
NASA expects conditions to continue into 2025, bringing more opportunities to catch the northern lights.
Contributing: Kim Luciani, USA Today Network-Florida
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Aurora borealis visible US. See viewline, best times watch northern lights
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