Northern Illinois Might Get To See The Aurora Borealis This Week
Having been lucky enough to have seen the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) once before in my life (a trip to Norway with my dad), I can tell you that all the hype surrounding them is absolutely true. It was truly one of life's great experiences.
Well, according to members of the meteorological community who are literally swooning over this opportunity, those of us in northern states are getting a pretty good chance to see the Northern Lights this week without having to pony up airfare to Canada or Scandinavia.
If everything works out the way we'd like it to, all you'll have to do is go outside and look up at the skies.
It's Not Just Northern Illinois That May Get A Look At The Northern Lights, People Living In 30 Different States Could See A Spectacular Sky Show
It all got started on Friday, with something called a coronal mass ejection, along with a minor solar flare, that sparked a geomagnetic storm watch that continues on through tonight (Monday, April 24th).
The bottom line is, this sort of solar activity gives more people in more places a chance to see the Northern Lights, which is something that many of us just don't get to take in because of our geography.
Here's the cool thing about the potential for Northern Illinois to catch the Aurora Borealis: it looks like our weather is going to cooperate, for once.
The most favorable cloud conditions, according to the account, appear to be over the Midwest, Plains and parts of the Great Lakes. Conditions seem to be less favorable in other areas like the Northeast and Northwest.
If you're interested in seeing the lights, you'll want to put your eyes toward the sky between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., according to NOAA. For the best chance to see the show, residents are urged to get to dark areas, away from city lights, and to find a location with a clear view of the northern sky.