Latest news with #auroraBorealis
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Science
- Associated Press
One Tech Tip: How to use your smartphone to photograph the Northern Lights
LONDON (AP) — People in parts of the U.S. may be able to see Northern lights Monday night — or at least use a smartphone's camera to reveal hints of the aurora not visible to the naked eye. Space weather forecasters issued a rare, severe solar storm alert on Sunday after the sun let out a huge burst of energy called a coronal mass ejection last week. Another one headed toward Earth on Monday could produce more aurora sightings and with it, more social media posts of the majestic spectacle. If you plan to head outside after sunset to look for the lights, and photograph them, there are things you can do to make sure you get the best shot. First, though, try to find a quiet, dark area away from light pollution and check the weather forecast — clouds can cover up the aurora borealis. As for equipment, ideally, you should use a DSLR camera because its manual controls give you lots of control, and a tripod to hold it steady. But many people won't have this sort of equipment. But if you've only got a smartphone, you can still take great photos of the night skies. Here are some tips on how to shoot the Northern Lights: A good setup Before fiddling with your phone, take a few other steps to improve your chances of getting a good shot. First, dim your screen. A bright screen can hurt your night vision and both others nearby. Even if you don't have a tripod, it's best not to hold your phone with your hands while shooting at night because there's a good chance the picture will turn out blurry. Find something to rest your device against, like a hat, a book or even just the ground. Of course, check the forecast because auroras are best seen in clear skies. Find a dark spot, away from city lights and look north. Also, consider going horizontal instead of vertical to capture a wider image. Tips for the iPhone First, turn off your phone's flash. It's usually marked by the lightning bolt symbol in the corner of the screen. Next, use Night Mode, which is found on iPhone 11 and newer models. It usually turns on automatically in low light. You can tell it's on because a circular icon with a crescent moon will appear in the top left corner of the screen. For night shots, a longer exposure is better because there's more time for light to hit the lens. Apple says Night Mode's exposure length is normally determined automatically, but you can still experiment with manual controls. To get to the controls, tap the arrow at the top of the camera screen, which will bring up a row of controls at the bottom. Tap find the exposure icon, which is the same crescent moon symbol as the Night Mode icon. A slider will come up, which you can drag left or right to choose between Auto and Max timer settings. Max will give you the longest exposure time. Whichever setting you choose, it will be remembered for the next time. Then, tap the shutter button to take your shot. Better yet, turn on the countdown timer. The delay gives you time to move away and reduces the chance any movement from your finger will affect the shot. If you are going handheld, and the iPhone detects movement in the frame, it will display crosshairs. Try to keep them lined up to minimize any motion that can ruin the shot. Tips for Android devices There are similar night and astrophotography modes available on most Android devices. On Pixel phones, tap the Night Sight setting at the bottom of the screen. If you're using a tripod, the astrophotography setting will come up automatically once the phone has detected that it is still and ready, according to Google's online guide. Now you can press the shutter, which will trigger a five-second countdown timer before the phone starts taking a long exposure of up to four minutes. If you don't have a tripod, you'll have to activate the astro mode by tapping the crescent moon icon and swiping the slider. You'll still get a five-second timer when you hit the shutter, which Google says 'allows you to place your phone down on a steady surface facing the sky.' Then the phone will play a sound to let you know it's done. Newer Samsung phones can access an astrophoto mode, but users will have to download the company's free Expert Raw camera app to get it. Use a third-party app If you feel like you need some outside assistance for your snapshots, tourist boards and other outfits from some Nordic countries have suggestions for you. Iceland Air, for instance, has a blog entry on the best apps for taking pictures of the Northern lights, including the Northern Lights Photo Taker, which costs 99 cents to download and 'does exactly what it says,' according to the post. Inspired by Iceland lists additional apps to try, especially if your default camera lacks manual controls. These include NightCap Camera, ProCamera, and Slow Shutter for iOS. For Android, ProCam X Lite is a good choice. Visit Norway suggests similar camera replacement apps, but notes that you should test them before you go to see what works best for you and the type of phone you have. ___ AP Technology Writer Barbara Ortutay contributed from San Francisco. Is there a tech topic that you think needs explaining? Write to us at [email protected] with your suggestions for future editions of One Tech Tip.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Climate
- Forbes
Northern Lights Alert: 13 States May See Aurora On Monday And Tuesday
Wisconsin's night sky is glowing with the Northern Lights, as a geomagnetic storm is bringing ... More vibrant pink and green colors. (Photo by Ross Harried/NurPhoto via Getty Images) The Northern Lights may be visible from 13 U.S. states on Monday, June 2 through Tuesday, June 3, 2025, after a G1 geomagnetic storm was forecast by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It comes in the wake of an 'extreme' G5 geomagnetic storm last weekend that saw aurora borealis seen from as far south as California. As Earth approaches the solstice on June 21, the U.S. is currently one of the best places to see the Northern Lights. The agency's three-day forecast has a geomagnetic storm, measured at a value of G1 on a scale of G1 to G5, potentially occurring on Monday night through Tuesday morning in North America. NOAA's aurora viewlines have potential aurora displays that are possible in northern U.S. states and Canada. A total of 13 U.S. states have a chance of seeing the aurora on the northern horizon, with those on the U.S.-Canada border having a higher chance. According to NOAA, this display may be seen from Washington, northern Idaho, Montana, northeast Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Regions closest to the border with Canada will have the highest possibility of seeing the aurora. NOAA's forecast for the aurora viewline on Monday, June 2, 2025. According to NOAA's forecast, the Kp index — which provides a rough guide to the intensity of aurora displays — may reach 5, seeing the auroral oval stretch farther south. Kp 5 equates to a G1-class geomagnetic storm. For a Kp in the range of 3 to 5, 'The aurora will move further from the poles, it will become brighter, and there will be more auroral activity (motion and formations)," according to NOAA. "If you are in the right place, these aurora can be quite pleasing to look at.' The geomagnetic storm on May 10, 2024, which saw aurora as far south as Florida, was rated as G5 and had Kp 9 intensity. It was the most powerful since 2003. Although it's forecast for Monday night through Tuesday morning in North America, exactly when and where aurora becomes visible this week will be down not to predictions but data coming in from NASA's DSCOVR and ACE satellites. Orbiting the sun from around a million miles from Earth, they give a roughly 30-minute warning of aurora displays after measuring the solar wind's speed and magnetic intensity. Check NOAA's 30-minute forecast or use the Glendale App for up-to-the-minute forecasts. People visit St Mary's lighthouse to see the aurora borealis, commonly known as the northern lights, ... More on May 10, 2024 in Whitley Bay, England. (Photo by) If your smartphone has a 'Night Mode' feature, that should be good enough to get a more than impressive souvenir shot of the aurora. It likely means a long exposure of between five and 10 seconds, which will look much better if you do three things: The Northern Lights are caused by the solar wind, a stream of charged particles from the sun interacting with Earth's magnetic field. Although the magnetic field deflects much of it, some charged particles accelerate along the magnetic field lines toward the polar regions, where they collide with oxygen and nitrogen atoms, exciting them and causing them to release energy as light. The possibility of displays of the aurora borealis at more southerly latitudes comes from a spike in solar activity, which is currently at a 23-year high due to the current solar maximum period. Geomagnetic storms and aurora are expected to continue through 2025 and 2026. Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Aurora visibility likely Sunday night in NC as G4 geomagnetic storm hits Earth
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — It's possible that central North Carolina could watch a beautiful night sky from the Northern Lights this Sunday. This is being prompted by a G4 geomagnetic storm that came from a coronal mass ejection (CME) from the sun that hit Earth early Sunday morning. Auroras are nearly impossible to forecast, longer than a 30-60 minute timescale, but we'll do our best here. CMEs carry electrically charged atoms, known as ions. When these ions collide with Earth's magnetosphere, they can trigger geomagnetic storms, major disturbances in Earth's magnetosphere. During these storms, ions interact with gases in Earth's atmosphere, releasing energy in the form of light. This light is the northern lights, or aurora borealis, in the Northern Hemisphere. It's possible, but certainly not likely we could see some color in NC tonight. EDITOR'S NOTE: This video was previously made before the most recent geomagnetic 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Forbes
3 days ago
- Climate
- Forbes
‘Extreme' Northern Lights Alert: 27 States May See Aurora This Weekend During Intense Storm
Scotland, East Lothian, silhouette of woman standing on Seacliff Beach watching Northern lights The Northern Lights may be visible from 27 U.S. states on Sunday, June 1 through Monday, June 2, 2025, after a massive geomagnetic storm was forecast by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "By as early as midday on 01 Jun to early on 02Jun, conditions are expected to increase rapidly with the arrival of the CME from 31 May," said a NOAA post, referring to the arrival of a coronal mass ejection — a huge cloud of charged particles — from he sun. "G3-G4 (Strong-Severe) conditions are likely, with a chance for G5 (Extreme) levels on 01-02 Jun," said NOAA. The effects of the CME could last through Tuesday, June 3. However, NOAA added that, "While confidence is high for CME arrival at Earth, confidence is much lower for timing and magnitude." The effect on darkness hours of Earth's tilt as we approach the solstice on June 21 make the U.S. currently one of the best places to see the Northern Lights. NOAA has also dropped an aurora viewline forecast that indicates that aurora may be seen from 27 U.S. states. According to NOAA, this display may be seen in northern skies from northern Washington, northern Idaho, Montana, northeast Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Maine — and many others. Regions closest to the border with Canada will have the highest possibility of seeing the aurora. The potential displays of aurora borealis tonight have a predicted Kp index of 7.67. According to NOAA, that means 'the aurora will move even further from the poles and will become quite bright and active. At this geomagnetic activity level, it might be possible to see the aurora from the northern edge of the United States.' NOAA's aurora viewline forecast for Sunday, June1, 2025. Here are some tips for seeing the aurora: The solar wind is a stream of charged particles from the sun interacting with Earth's magnetic field. They're super-charged by a coronal mass ejection that travels to Earth over a few days. Aurora is typically seen in polar regions at around latitudes of 70 degrees north and south, but during extreme geomagnetic conditions — usually when CMEs arrive at Earth one after another, or in tandem — the auroral oval can bulge, with displays then seen as low as 25 degrees north and south of the equator. Follow my page for the latest Northern Lights forecast. Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Northern Lights could be seen in CNY Sunday night
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) – Central New Yorkers have another opportunity to view the Northern Lights Sunday night. With a geomagnetic storm affecting the Earth, this means the Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, could be visible across the northern tier of the United States. One thing we will need to keep an eye on is how quickly our cloud cover departs Sunday night. Skies look to be rather cloudy still by 10 p.m., but should gradually clear as the night goes on. The best chance of seeing the Northern Lights looks to be after midnight west of I-81. To get the best view, it is recommended that you get somewhere well away from the influence of city lights in a completely dark area after 10 p.m. and look north. If you get a great picture of the Northern Lights, be sure to share it with us! The geomagnetic storm is a result of a coronal mass ejection (CME) from the sun. This is a process by which a solar flare creates a large suspension of plasma. Particles of that plasma then travel toward the Earth, down polar magnetic fields, and enter our atmosphere. As these particles meet up with different gases our atmosphere is comprised of, this is when the bright, colorful glow appears. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
