The Northern Lights in Royal Oak on Oct. 10, 2024 (Amber Eikenberry/FOX 2)
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Michiganders could get a glimpse of the Northern Lights on Wednesday night.
The Aurora borealis did show up for some Tuesday night, but clouds muddled the view for others.
What they're saying:
According to the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, there's a chance of seeing the Northern Lights statewide Wednesday into Thursday.
Currently, geomagnetic storm conditions are strong, and are expected to reach severe later in the day. This increases the likelihood of the Northern Lights being visible.
(NOAA SWPC)
Northern Lights cloud forecast
Clouds during the day Wednesday are expected to lift later in the day. Overnight, skies will be partly cloudy to mainly clear, paving the way for a good chance of seeing the Aurora.
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Stray sprinkle today
Stray sprinkle today with highs warming to the mid and upper 40s! Trending towards the lower 50s by the end of the week with sunshine!
How to see the Northern Lights
Head to a dark area. In Michigan, the more north you travel, the darker it tends to be. Check this light pollution map to find darker areas.
The aurora is often most visible around midnight. When the time to see the lights is near, use this 30-minute aurora forecast to see where it is.
Also, just because you cannot see the aurora with your eyes does not mean it isn't there. When it is dark out and the aurora is predicted to be strong, try taking a photo with your phone camera in night mode.
What are geomagnetic storms?
The sun’s intense magnetic energy is the source of solar flares and eruptions of plasma known as coronal mass ejections. When directed toward Earth, they can create stunning auroras but also disrupt power and communications.
Galileo was among the first astronomers to turn a telescope skyward and study sunspots, back in the early 1600s. Solar flares and coronal mass ejections tend to occur near sunspots, dark patches as big as Earth that are located near the most intense portions of the sun’s shifting magnetic field.
A solar cycle is a sequence the sun’s magnetic field goes through every 11 years, when the field flips. Geomagnetic storms could become more frequent over the next year as the sun begins to move into the solar maximum phase of its 11-year cycle.
The Source: The NOAA SWPC and previous reporting were used in this story.
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