The Chicago area could have another chance to see the dazzling Northern Lights light up the sky on Friday, October 11. But that’s only if cloudy conditions stay at bay.
“Hopefully we can keep some of these clouds at bay after sunset,” NBC 5 meteorologist Pete Sack said as clouds appeared in the Chicago forecast Friday afternoon and in the evening.
According to the Space Weather Prediction Center and the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration, a “severe” geomagnetic storm watch is again in effect for Friday. This same watch was in effect on Thursday, which made it possible to observe the aurora much further south than usual.
“Watches of this level are very rare,” specifies the agency.
The northern lights are enhanced when coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, erupt from the sun and speed through space before hitting Earth’s atmosphere. According to the SWPC, CMEs are “large explosions of plasma and magnetized particles originating from the solar corona.”
These ejections increase in size as they approach Earth’s atmosphere and can cause geomagnetic storms upon arrival.
According to the SWPC, aurora can be seen just after sunset or before sunrise. They are not visible during the day and do not need to be directly above us to be seen, if conditions are bright enough.
“For many people, the aurora is a magnificent nocturnal phenomenon that is worth traveling to Arctic regions just to observe,” the SWPC said. “It’s the only way for most people to actually experience space weather.”
Fortunately, much of the northern half of the United States didn’t have to go far to see them on Thursday and might have the same chance of seeing them on Friday.
The SWPC reports that Friday’s aurora should be visible “over much of the northern half of the country,” and potentially as far south as Alabama.
According to the Space Weather Prediction Center’s latest observing forecast for Friday, the “line of sight” — the southernmost locations from which people can see the aurora on the northern horizon — includes parts of the north and south. central Illinois.
Although the lights can be visible to the naked eye, photos taken with digital cameras can make the auroras more visible.
If you didn’t get a chance to look up Thursday, or won’t be able to get out Friday night, here’s a look back at the Northern Lights visible in the Chicago area last night.
