The night sky gave New England a rare show late Thursday and early Friday, when an unusually strong solar storm made the northern lights visible in Massachusetts.
In fact, the lights were visible as far south as Maryland and South Carolina!
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People across the country — including here in Massachusetts — were sharing photos and videos of the aurora in the sky.
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There's a chance that the aurora will be visible in New England again Friday night into Saturday — the national Space Weather Prediction Center says the solar storm that brought the activity in the sky is expected to continue into Saturday.
The best chance to see the show will be between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m., but the flare isn’t expected to be as strong, thus viewing won’t be as great.
There will be clear skies, with patches of clouds. The farther north you are, the better of a viewing opportunity.
What causes the northern lights?
The northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, occur during geomagnetic storms when charged particles impact the Earth’s upper atmosphere. They’re usually only visible at the Earth’s north and poles.
The solar storm brought a bedazzled view to the skies of New England Thursday night was a level G4, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center. Weaker storms can last minutes, but last night's was reported for hours, due to its magnitude and strength on a scale that maxes out at G5.
It’s reported this is the first severe storm since September 2017.
Previous extreme events include the Halloween of 2003, when the northern lights were visible as far south as Texas, according to the National Weather Service. The largest geomagnetic storm ever recorded was in 1859, when the aurora was visible in El Salvador.
