Northern lights forecasted to be visible over Connecticut Friday and Saturday

Veer Mudambi, Norwich Bulletin
·2 min read

Is seeing the northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, on your bucket list? This could be a chance to check it off your list without leaving Connecticut.

From Friday night to early Saturday morning, the Aurora Borealis will potentially be visible over the northern United States, possibly reaching as far as Virginia, Missouri, Colorado.

The Aurora Borealis is known as the northern lights for a good reason. Often associated with the snowy wilderness of Alaska or Canada, it's not something that most New Englanders would expect to see on a Friday night.

Until now.

Though a rare occurrence overall, this is the second year in a row that the northern lights have come south. An April 2023, they were visible all the way to Arizona. So what do we have to thank for this celestial light show?

What is the Aurora Borealis?

The Aurora Borealis, commonly known as the Northern Lights, are seen in March in the sky above Kiruna, Sweden. The area is widely regarded as one of the best places in the world to see the phenomenon, which occurs when energized particles from the sun hit the Earth's upper atmosphere. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
The Aurora Borealis, commonly known as the Northern Lights, are seen in March in the sky above Kiruna, Sweden. The area is widely regarded as one of the best places in the world to see the phenomenon, which occurs when energized particles from the sun hit the Earth's upper atmosphere. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

The phenomenon of the northern lights is caused by massive clouds of charged particles released by the sun toward the Earth, events known as coronal mass ejections. Upon impact with the Earth's magnetic field, these particles interact with molecules of atmospheric gases to ignite the aurora borealis over the Northern Hemisphere, usually over Canada.

Situations such as this one result from larger coronal mass ejections, which can mean the lights will spark over larger portions of the Northern Hemisphere.

Best places to see the Northern Lights 2024

Barring cloud cover, which could be an issue for viewers in the Northeast, for best results it's recommended to travel somewhere with as little light pollution as possible and look to the northern horizon. Windham County is one of the few places along the Eastern Seaboard with limited light pollution.

Even if you don't get the best view on Friday, if the coronal mass ejections continue at their present level, the northern lights could still be visible here on Saturday night as well.

If you're hoping to capture the moment on film for posterity - or Instagram - a smart phone is unlikely to give you the desired results and it's best to bring a proper camera. Be sure it's on the proper settings beforehand.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Northern lights forecasted to be visible over CT Friday and Saturday