Snazzy Northern Lights Display Expected Tonight

The northern lights, or aurora borealis, is most definitely a sight to behold. If you’ve never seen it, there’s almost no point of reference to which it can really be compared. The sky just seems to light up in fantastic colors. Thanks to an “impressive” solar flare early this past Thursday, it’s being reported that a large stretch of land that includes places like New York and Michigan should be privy to a fantastical instance of the northern lights tonight.

It gets even better, though. According to AccuWeather, there’s a small chance that it might extend even further:

The flare is also expected to cause vibrant northern lights from the Arctic as far south as New York, the Dakotas, Washington and Michigan, with a smaller possibility of it going into Pennsylvania and Iowa, even Kansas.

This flare is expected to put on a particularly good show due to the fact that it was directed at Earth, which is pretty much the key to the best kind of conditions for the northern lights to show up. The lights are expected around 8PM EDT, but there’s “a possible deviation of up to seven hours.” Depending on when it lands exactly, it could mean the East Coast will miss it entirely, but chances are good that at least New York should get a glimpse.

(AccuWeather via NPR)

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