Will northern lights appear Saturday night?
CLEVELAND (WJW) — Friday night’s celestial show over Northeast Ohio was one for the ages, or at least the most vivid one here in 20 years.
Residents across Northeast Ohio got a stunning show as an aurora, or “northern lights” were visible.
So, what about Saturday night into the wee hours of Sunday?
Fox 8 meteorologist Alexis Walters has your answer.
Your best shot at seeing the northern lights Saturday night, would be late, closer to or after midnight as the clouds begin to clear (but no guarantee). With the lights activity not being as strong, you’ll need to be closer to the lakeshore as well.
See what appeared in some local northern lights pics
Credit: Gabe Leidy Photography Credit: Tino Bovenzi Credit: Tino Bovenzi Credit: Justin Deierling Credit: Justin Deierling Credit: Jordan Unger Credit: Jenn Harcher Credit: Kirk Greaves in Hartville Credit: Justin Deierling Credit: Jenn Harcher Credit: Tino Bovenzi Credit: Tino Bovenzi
Astronomer Jay Reynolds said many people may have missed their best viewing opportunity to view the Northern Lights in Northeast Ohio on Friday night. There is a chance for a viewing opportunity on Saturday, it just depends on the clouds in the sky.
“So you need to get away from the trees and the lights especially,” Reynolds said. “Even if we see something and the cloud forecast is very sporadic, Saturday, but take a peek. You just might have another shot. It’s not going to be Friday night.”
He also said there is another chance to view Sunday night based on the most extreme geomagnetic storm since 2003, according to the National Weather Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.
*Above video shows what caused the great view of the Northern Lights over NE Ohio and what’s next*
For the first time since 2005, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center issued a Severe Geomagnetic Storm Watch, after spotting five coronal mass ejections pointed at Earth, expected to arrive by midday Friday, May 10, and stay through Sunday, May 12. It’s an “unusual event,” the NOAA noted.
According to FOX 8 Meteorologist Mackenzie Bart, clouds will make the light difficult to see see Saturday night, but there is a better chance the forecast will cooperate on Sunday if the geomagnetic storm persists.
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Coronal mass ejections are scorching blasts of magnetized plasma from the sun’s corona which can cause electromagnetic disruptions on Earth, creating ribbons of multi-colored light that dance in the skies.
Several strong solar flares have been seen over the past few days from a sunspot cluster that is 16 times the diameter of Earth, according to the NOAA.
That cluster is so big you can see it without a telescope, Jay Reynolds, a research astronomer at Cleveland State University. Just make sure you’re wearing your solar eclipse glasses; don’t look directly at the sun without proper protection.
There have only been three other “severe” geomagnetic storms seen in this solar cycle, which started in December 2019. The last “extreme” storm on Halloween in 2003 knocked out power in Sweden and South Africa, according to the NOAA.
How to use your phone camera to see the northern lights
If you are hoping to catch a glimpse of the northern lights, experts say the best time to see the lights is between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. If you don’t see anything, try taking a picture with your cell phone and see what appears.
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