HARRISBURG (TNS) — Meteorologists are predicting that something “unpredictable” could be visible in places it’s not usually seen this weekend.
Said places include Pennsylvania.
According to Forbes, the northern lights — those colorful, wavy aurorae usually associated with places like Alaska and Iceland — may possibly be seen by people in the continental U.S. tonight as well as Sunday night.
The Philadelphia Inquirer adds that the lights could be projected as far south as Pennsylvania.
“Aurora can often be observed somewhere on Earth from just after sunset or just before sunrise,” explains the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center. “The aurora is not visible during daylight hours.
“The aurora does not need to be directly overhead but can be observed from as much as 1000 km away when the aurora is bright and if conditions are right.”
As for why the elusive lights have a possibility of being visible so far south from their usual locations, Space.com explains there’s a high likelihood that a strong geomagnetic storm will occur during the weekend, especially considering that the cosmic sphere experienced its biggest solar flare since 2017.
This, continues Space.com, causes a ionic-atmospheric collision that releases energy in the form of light. And boom, there you have it.
Again, just to reiterate, just because there’s a strong likelihood doesn’t mean there’s a guarantee the lights will be visible at all.
Nevertheless, if you’re interested in spotting the northern lights this weekend for yourself, make sure you’re in an area that’s dark, and far away enough from any light pollution.