What You Need to Know Before Viewing The Northern Lights in Illinois Tonight

The Northern Lights are expected to put on a fantastic show for Illinois and Wisconsin again tonight, so here are some tips you need to make the most of this unique experience.

Northern Lights in Illinois

Last night as I was sitting on the couch around 8 p.m., in my jammies, finally relaxing, my husband exclaimed "Let's go for a drive to look at the Northern Lights"!

Before I agreed to hop in the car, I went out onto our deck to make sure the lights were visible and snapped this picture:

Confident that there was a spectacular display to see, my husband and I, along with our two daughters, hopped into the car and drove just out of town to see the lights. Here are two of my favorite pictures that I took:

While on our Northern Lights viewing trip I learned two things quickly:

1. You need to go to a place with low light pollution to see the Northern Lights best.
2. They are visible to the naked eye, but are viewed 10 times more vividly though your phone camera.

Tips for Taking Pics of the Northern Lights

If you missed last night's light show, no worries! Experts say the Northern Lights will be even brighter in Illinois and Wisconsin tonight.

Before you step outside tonight, here are some helpful camera tips I found to take the best pics of the Northern Lights:

Aurora Color Guide

While viewing the Northern Lights last night, I couldn't help but be amazed by the extreme color differences visible, and wondered how that occurs. Here's a cool Aurora guide I found:

You owe it to yourself. Take a moment to see the Northern Lights in all their breathtaking glory tonight. Experts say peak visibility should be around 8 p.m. again this evening. Have fun!

Here are some more cool light pics people took all over the Stateline area: