# data[].attributes.body
Ohio can sometimes see auroras. We have been having a lot of large solar bursts of solar particles lately. It is rare that Ohio sees auroras. These huge storms are making aurora viewing possible in Ohio.

# data[].attributes.body
Get to a dark location if possible. City lights make viewing more difficult (but possible!).

Bring your phone. Chances are that our eyes won't be able to see the aurora without help.

Open your camera app and point your phone towards the north part of the sky. Try a bit east and west as well.

If your phone has a night setting for photos, use it. It can capture better pictures.

# data[].attributes.body
Auroras typically happen close to midnight. 9 PM-2 AM are the best times. In Ohio, 9:45-10:45 PM have been the best times lately.

Watch space weather websites. They predict when we might have large solar storms.

# data[].attributes.body
NOAA is predicting a VERY large storm between October 10-11. The viewline includes Ohio! Check outside every 30 minutes or so and see what your phone sees once it is dark. Check multiple times as we don't know exactly when the solar particles will arrive.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Tonight's Aurora Viewline

Tomorrow Night's Aurora Viewline

In 2022, the view-line product presented here for tonight's and tomorrow night's aurora first debuted.

The history of the OVATION model can be found on the 'History' tab of the Aurora - 30 Minute Forecast page.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Aurora Viewline for Tonight and Tomorrow Night (Experimental)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Tonight's Aurora Viewline Tomorrow Night's Aurora Viewline In 2022, the view-line product presented here for tonight's and tomorrow night's aurora first debuted. The history of the OVATION model can be found on the 'History' tab of the Aurora - 30 Minute Forecast page.

# data[].attributes.headline
Will there be auroras in the next 30 minutes?

# data[].attributes.subject
Will there be auroras in the next 30 minutes?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Aurora Borealis Forecast. Everything You Need to know.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Aurora Borealis Forecast, includes immediate, real time info on Northern Lights viewing, including Aurora Alerts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Aurora Three Day Forecast in Your Local Time

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Aurora Forecast Three Day in Your Local Time

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
If you're ever near the North or South Pole, you may be in for a very special treat. Frequently there are beautiful light shows in the sky. These lights are called auroras. If you're near the North Pole, it is called an aurora borealis or northern lights. If you're near the South Pole, it is called an aurora australis or the southern lights.

What makes this happen?

Even though auroras are best seen at night, they are actually caused by the Sun.

The Sun sends us more than heat and light; it sends lots of other energy and small particles our way. The protective magnetic field around Earth shields us from most of the energy and particles, and we don't even notice them.

But the Sun doesn't send the same amount of energy all the time. There is a constant streaming solar wind and there are also solar storms. During one kind of solar storm called a coronal mass ejection, the Sun burps out a huge bubble of electrified gas that can travel through space at high speeds.

When a solar storm comes toward us, some of the energy and small particles can travel down the magnetic field lines at the north and south poles into Earth's atmosphere.

There, the particles interact with gases in our atmosphere resulting in beautiful displays of light in the sky. Oxygen gives off green and red light. Nitrogen glows blue and purple.

Do other planets get auroras?

They sure do! Auroras are not just something that happen on Earth. If a planet has an atmosphere and magnetic field, they probably have auroras. We've seen amazing auroras on Jupiter and Saturn.

Want to make some aurora art? Check out this pastel aurora activity!

Related Resources for Educators

Citizen Science Project: Aurorasaurus
Our World: Two Eyes on the Sun
Launchpad: Aurora Lights: Why They Exist and What Causes Them?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Solar storms and flares are eruptions from the Sun that can affect us here on Earth.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Speedy solar storm could spark bright Northern Lights Thursday night - The Weather Network

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Eyes to the sky! More aurora displays may be on the way following a powerful solar flare and the eruption of an exceptionally fast solar storm.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Second Chance: Solar Flare Might Spark Aurora Friday and Saturday Night

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
An updated forecast now predicts observers across the northern and central U.S. might see aurora on Oct. 4th and 5th.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
24-Hour Observed Maximums

Current Space Weather Conditions

published:

Monday, June 03, 2024 16:24 UTC

A CME that left the Sun on June 1 may begin to impact Earth's atmosphere on June 4.

published:

Friday, May 31, 2024 16:10 UTC

On Tuesday, June 11, between 1500 UTC and 2100 UTC, SWPC will perform a major network upgrade.

published:

Tuesday, May 28, 2024 20:26 UTC

The Federal Communications Commission's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB or Bureau) seeks comment on any observed impacts to commu

published:

Friday, May 24, 2024 18:35 UTC

Did you know that space weather can actually cause power outages? How is this possible?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Homepage | NOAA / NWS Space Weather Prediction Center

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
24-Hour Observed Maximums Current Space Weather Conditions published: Monday, June 03, 2024 16:24 UTC A CME that left the Sun on June 1 may begin to impact Earth's atmosphere on June 4. published: Friday, May 31, 2024 16:10 UTC On Tuesday, June 11, between 1500 UTC and 2100 UTC, SWPC will perform a major network upgrade.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
By STEPHANIE YARDLEY -- Solar Physicist and Soft Serve News Contributor

The Aurora Borealis ("Northern Lights") or their southern counterpart the Aurora Australis are spectacularly colorful night-time displays, located above the Earth's magnetic poles in the northern and southern hemispheres. Auroral displays can exhibit many colors, the most common being green or red and are caused by the influence the Sun has on the Earth. These magnificent lights can be quite dynamic and can appear as scattered clouds, streamers, curtains or arcs that dance before your eyes.

Photo by Markus Kiili Photography

But what causes these dazzling displays?

A continuous stream of energetic particles from the Sun, known as the solar wind, are carried out into space along magnetic field lines and interact with the gaseous particles in the Earth's upper atmosphere. Not only do these energetic particles cause beautiful auroral displays but also hazardous space weather conditions including power grid outages, communication blackouts, damage to spacecraft electronics and astronaut health. Luckily for us, the Earth is protected by its own magnetic field, the magnetosphere, and most of these energetic particles are deflected.

The Earth's magnetosphere is teardrop shaped as it is compressed by the solar wind - Credit: ESA

The magnetosphere is very similar to that of a bar magnet, however it is teardrop shaped as it is compressed by the solar wind on the dayside. When solar particles manage to penetrate the Earth's magnetic shield they are accelerated down the magnetic field lines to the poles where they collide with gaseous particles in the Earth's atmosphere.

The most magnificent displays are caused when the Sun is particularly active. Sunspots are regions of highly concentrated magnetic field, thousands of times that of the Earth's magnetic field, that appear dark as these regions are cooler than the surrounding solar surface. They usually appear in pairs and are responsible for the largest-scale eruptive phenomenon in the solar system, coronal mass ejections. These eruptions are huge bubbles of plasma threaded with magnetic field that are launched into space at speeds up to several million miles an hour and when earth directed can cause huge geomagnetic storms.

Material from the Sun's outer atmosphere erupting into space as a coronal mass ejection - Credit: Nasa

Coronal mass ejections occur more frequently during the maximum of the solar cycle. This is the Sun's 11-year activity cycle and is defined by the number of sunspots present on the solar surface. The more active the Sun is the more sunspots there are on its surface, and as a consequence auroral displays are more frequent and spectacular.

Below is a plot of where we are in the current solar cycle (click the image for the most updated graph):

What is a geomagnetic storm?

When a fast stream of solar wind or a coronal mass ejection arrives at Earth and buffets the magnetosphere, if the orientation of the magnetic field within this structure is southward directed then it will interact strongly with the Earth's magnetic field. This interaction involves the Earth's magnetic field being peeled open almost like an onion to allow the energetic particles to enter the magnetosphere and become trapped. The field that has peeled away builds up on the night-side until it eventually snaps like a rubber band allowing particles to be accelerated down the magnetic field lines towards the poles, entering the Earth's atmosphere, causing the aurora.

The interaction of the Earth's magnetic field during impact - Credit: NASA/GFSC/SVS

What causes the different colors?

The color of the aurora is dependent upon the wavelength of the emitted light. It is similar to a fluorescent lamp where the color depends upon which gas in the atmosphere is involved and what state the molecules are in. When solar energetic particles enter the Earth's atmosphere and collide with atmospheric atoms and ions, their outer electrons are promoted to higher energy levels and they become excited. When the electrons eventually relax and return to their original energy levels, light is emitted at a certain wavelength which is dependent upon the transition. Depending upon which molecule is involved this will correspond to a certain color in the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Energetic particles: electrons and ions stream along the magnetic field lines colliding with molecules in the Earth's atmosphere - Credit: NASA

The most common color exhibited by the aurora is green, which is due to oxygen molecules. Red light is caused by collisions with oxygen and nitrogen molecules, whilst blue and purple light is also due to nitrogen.

You can learn more about atmospheric altitude and auroral light and about how different atoms produce the various colors.

Do other Planets experience them?

Yes, we're not the only planet in the solar system to experience these impressive displays as the Sun's influence extends to the outer solar system with auroras also observed on the gas giants Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The process behind these auroras are the same as on the Earth with gases in the upper atmosphere being excited by energetic particles streaming in near the magnetic poles. Most of these particles originate from the solar wind, however for Jupiter, some of them come from Jupiter's closest moons Io, Ganymede and Europa.

Jupiter's electric-blue Aurora as imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope - Credit: NASA

Where is the best place to see the Northern Lights?

The aurora is observed in both hemispheres in an irregularly shaped oval ring around the Earth's geomagnetic poles, known as the "auroral oval", which is usually located around 67 degrees when activity is low. However, as geomagnetic activity increases the auroral oval becomes disturbed, expanding towards the equator and spectacular auroral displays can be observed at mid to low latitudes.

Some of the best places to visit to view the aurora are in Northern America, either Alaska or Canada, and Norway, Finland and Iceland in Europe.

When is the best time to go?

Although, the Northern Lights are always present the best time to view them is on clear nights during the winter months, nominally September, October, February and March as this offers the most hours of darkness and lower levels of light pollution. Sightings of the Northern Lights are possible at any time, although during solar maximum is best as sunspot activity and large eruptions are much more likely to cause the most impressive auroral shows.

The Human interface.

Seeing a beautiful Aurora can be an emotional and spiritual experience that often leaves a life-long impression. But what are the mechanics behind the transmission of this beauty from the outside world to where we can perceive it? Below you'll find an exceptionally interesting video explaining just that!

How the eye sees the Aurora. Credit Poul Jensen, Astralis Productions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
what causes the northern lights (the aurora borealis)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The cause of the Aurora Borealis. A clear explaination.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Aurora | NASA Space Place – NASA Science for Kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
NASA science games, articles and activities for kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Real-Time solar activity and auroral activity data website

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Live aurora cameras from around the world including Alaska, Canada, Norway, Iceland, and more! The most comprehensive list of webcams available with live-updating feeds. Never miss the next northern lights show.