An Aurora May Cross the Northern U.S. Wednesday—Here's How to Watch

http://www.newsweek.com/aurora-northern-lights-how-watch-660159

By Meghan Bartels On 9/6/17 at 10:56 AM

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Auroras can most commonly be spotted between 60 and 75 degrees north or south of the equator—that's places like Alaska, the southern half of Greenland, Scandinavia, the northern half of Russia, and the outer fringes of Antarctica. In fact, those areas can catch an aurora about once every two nights.

The mainland U.S. is not so spoiled—but thanks to Monday's coronal mass ejection, a swath of the northern midwest and northeast may be treated to an incredible light show Wednesday night and Thursday morning. That includes parts of Washington, Montana, the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York and New England—around the yellow line in this map:

If you're in that area, here's what to do. The aurora goes on during night and day alike, but you can only actually see the light show against a dark sky. That means go outside at night, but also try to get away from cities and other brighter places. Tuesday night was the full moon, which might also make the aurora look a little fainter. You'll also need to avoid clouds that can block your view.

Precisely where and when the aurora will show up is beyond prediction, so be prepared to spend some time enjoying the great outdoors. It also comes and goes in spurts of about a half hour.

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