Northern Lights Could Be Seen In Wisconsin Wednesday And Thursday

WISCONSIN — A solar flare launched by the sun on Sunday is making its way toward Earth, and it just might give Wisconsinites a chance at seeing the aurora borealis on Wednesday and Thursday.

The best chances to see the northern lights can be found in far northern locations like upper Michigan, Alaska and Maine, but they could also be visible as low as Wisconsin, according to a geomagnetic storm watch issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Space Weather Prediction Center.

It isn't an exact science to forecast when and where the auroras can be seen. But for your best chances, head to a region with a dark sky away from the city and practice your patience.

Typically, the best times to see the northern lights is between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time, according to the Space Weather Center.

Whether or not we may see also depends on the weather here in our atmosphere. The National Weather Service in Milwaukee/Sullivan forecast a mostly clear Wednesday night and a mostly cloudy Thursday night.

The solar flare from Sunday, also known as a partial coronal mass ejection, sent plasma and magnetic field lines from the outermost part of the sun.

The Space Weather Prediction Center, which rates geomagnetic storms on a scale of 1-5, with a 5 considered extreme, said the geomagnetic field in this event could reach G2, or moderate intensity, Wednesday, and G1, or minor intensity, on Thursday.

Check out the Space Weather Prediction Center website for more information about the auroras.

The predicted northern lights show isn’t expected to be as dramatic as one in April, when people as far south as Alabama reported seeing auroras, but the ethereal displays of green, red, purple and yellow curtains of light are becoming more common. We’re about halfway through an 11-year cycle in which the sun’s magnetic field flips polarity. The peak, or “solar maximum,” is expected next year, and the increase in solar storms is expected to continue through 2028.

The sun has negative and positive polarity, just like Earth. During the reversal of polarity — that is, negative becomes positive, and positive becomes negative. That causes more sunspots and lots of space weather.

“This increased activity from the sun is consistent with the current state and timing of the solar cycle,” NOAA space scientist Rob Steenburgh said in a recent news release. “Energetic events like solar flares and coronal mass ejections have become more frequent in the past year, and especially in the past month, and we expect activity to continue ramping up to the peak next year.”

Read More: Why Aurora Borealis Displays Are More Likely | Northern Lights Hunting Tips