Over, the past couple of weeks, many news reports have told Pennsylvanians we might see the northern lights during a major geomagnetic storm. So far, areas near Pittsburgh have had no luck. Even Pennsylvanians living in the most optimal spots only had a small chance of seeing the lights. But large parts of other states, including Wisconsin, North Dakota, Massachusetts, and Colorado, got to see at least some northern lights. Back in September, a photographer documented the lights from Montour County, Pennsylvania. And last April, many Arizonans and Californians saw the aurora borealis.
The northern and southern lights are caused by the solar wind creating disturbances in the magnetosphere of the Earth, which is the region surrounding Earth where our planet’s magnetic field applies. The solar wind is emitted from the sun and consists of protons and electrons in the form of plasma. This can excite some of the particles in our atmosphere, which causes them to release light. A full scientifically involved explanation would be much more complex, but even scientists still have a lot to learn about the northern and southern lights.
There currently are no reports of the aurora borealis coming to Pittsburgh soon. If they did, it wouldn’t be the first time — there’s an old Carnegie Mellon webpage from 1998 that predicted (and later confirmed) colorful aurora borealis visible from campus. In 2003, the lights were again visible in Pittsburgh, and as far south as Houston. This was so unusual that some Pittsburgh area residents called 911 asking about what was happening in the sky.
Additionally, experts say that seeing northern lights in Pittsburgh is becoming more likely in the short term. This is because the sun’s magnetic fields flip on a roughly 11-year cycle between solar minimum and solar maximum, with solar maximum set to occur in 2025. This is when more solar flares and coronal mass ejections occur — the best time to find northern lights in places you wouldn’t expect them, including Pittsburgh.
If you would like to see the northern lights, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has several tips. First, aurora borealis occurs during high geomagnetic activity, which is measured from zero to nine planetary K index (Kp). Generally, Kp has to be at least seven for the lights to be visible from Pennsylvania. Head north if you want to maximize your chances, because the requisite Kp level to see the lights decreases. Also, find a place where you can look northward — aurora borealis can be visible from up to 600 miles away under optimal conditions. Hills and mountaintops are great for maximizing visibility.
Timing-wise, northern lights are more likely near the autumn and spring equinoxes. Also, plan to stay up late because the lights are most visible one to two hours before or after midnight. And one last point, consider heading outside Pittsburgh — it’ll be harder to see anything with Pittsburgh’s light pollution. In fact, aurora borealis is so sensitive to light pollution that even a full moon makes the northern lights seem noticeably dimmer.
Keep in mind that these are general tips. You might do everything right and still hardly see the northern lights, or if you’re unlucky, not at all. Or you might be fortunate enough to see them despite not optimizing where you are — even if you live in a place as urban and far south as Pittsburgh.
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