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Have you always dreamed of traveling to Iceland to view in the dazzling northern lights? An international vacation may not be possible right now, but a mystical light show could be closer than you think.
The Space Weather Prediction Center has issued several geomagnetic storm watches for the evening of Wednesday, December 9, which will carry into the early morning hours of Thursday, December 10. According to Toledo meteorologist Ross Ellet, the anticipated G3 storm would "almost certainly" result in good viewing conditions of the elusive northern lights across all of the Midwest.
The solar activity is expected to light up the night sky between 9pm and 4am tonight, though Ellet recommends heading outside within an hour or two of midnight for the best visibility. "You need a dark sky away from city lights to have any chance to see the aurora," he explains in a Facebook post. "If you don't know if your location is dark enough, I recommend looking at the 'dark sky app' or other light pollution maps on the internet." Not sure where to look? Try gazing north and away from the shimmering Chicago skyline.
It's also worth noting that the northern lights can take on many different shapes and colors—not just the classic green and purple wisps you see in photos. "The lights can flicker, show movement, or appear to be still," Ellet says. "The most common appearance is a whitish-green haze, blob, or band on the northern horizon. Rarely red colors can show up off and on during strong geomagnetic storms."
Ellet does caution that "space weather forecast accuracy is on par with weather forecast accuracy in the 1930s," so there's always a chance the solar storm won't result in a visible light show. If that's the case, you can always tune into this northern lights live stream from your couch. But during a time when most of us don't have a lot going on, what's the harm in poking your head outside around midnight? The rare opportunity to see the northern lights in the Midwest is too good to pass up.
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