It’s a rare occasion, although not unheard of, for Massachusetts to bear witness to the Northern Lights, a.k.a. aurora borealis, this far south of the North Pole. However, a heavy-duty solar storm taking place this week will push the visibility of the Northern Lights all the way to The Bay State on Thursday and on Friday night.
The year has already produced some very remarkable celestial shows, including a comet that appeared over the summer that hadn’t been seen since the ancient Egyptians would have witnessed it.
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But that’s not all: this year, Massachusetts may have a front row seat for the phenomenon known as the Northern Lights. And it’s all happening tonight and Friday night, thanks to a solar storm that will push particles from the sun further south than normal.
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Just how far south is the question, however, it looks like much of the northern half of the United States could get a glimpse of the sky show over the next two nights.
US National Weather Service Cleveland OH / Facebook Solar storms and flares are unpredictable, but the National Weather Service is fairly certain that tonight (the 10th) will be the best of the best viewing for the lights. The service cannot predict with any certainty when and where, so the map shown above is a conservative projection.
Pull out your camera and prepare to take some really wild photos of this fascinating geometric storm.
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Your best bet for seeing the lights is to find yourself a very dark spot, free of light pollution.
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Then, simply turn toward the north and fix your eyes on the horizon.
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Have you witnessed the Northern Lights from Massachusetts before? We’d love to hear from you – and see your images in our comments! Or better yet, cruise over to our Massachusetts Nature Lovers group on Facebook and post your Northern Lights photos there!
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US National Weather Service Cleveland OH / Facebook
Solar storms and flares are unpredictable, but the National Weather Service is fairly certain that tonight (the 10th) will be the best of the best viewing for the lights. The service cannot predict with any certainty when and where, so the map shown above is a conservative projection.
Corey Hardcastle / 500px Prime Collection via Getty Images
sarote pruksachat / Moment Collection via Getty Images
Samuli Vainionpää / Moment Collection via Getty Images
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