AURORA DAZZLE - POSSIBLE REPEAT TONIGHT
Hey, Space Placers!
As you can see from my iPhone pics on Tuesday night into the early hours of Wednesday morning skywatchers were treated to dazzling and colorful Aurora throughout North America. Our area got to see the sky show starting after 8 p.m. EST and lasting for hours as numerous pictures and comments were sent to WTOP https://wtop.com/the-space-place/2025/11/northern-lights-sightings-possible-next-few-nights-in-dc-region/ ; as mentioned in the story we may get Aurora again Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
Fueling the sky spectacle was a powerful Level G4 (Severe) geomagnetic storm http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/noaa-scales-explanation that lasted for hours. Two videos from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ explained what was occurring at the onset https://www.facebook.com/reel/1364665611995916 and later https://www.facebook.com/reel/1565388894620064 .
NOAA SWPC https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ issued this forecast this morning https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/news/g3-strong-geomagnetic-storming-continues-g4-severe-still-expected which predicts “G3 levels are currently being observed; G4 levels are still expected”.
For the DMV, SWPC’s two-day Aurora forecast https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/communities/aurora-dashboard-experimental and our forecasted skies means there is a good chance we may detect Aurora to the North again tonight into tomorrow morning.
Our best bet is to check for updates throughout the day at Clear Sky Chart (input your location) https://www.cleardarksky.com/csk/ for sky conditions, NOAA https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ and space related social media sites spaceweatherlive.com , EarthSky.org , space.com for Aurora viewing updates. There also are Aurora apps available as well to help you; I use Aurora Pro and Glendale App.
Depending on the updates it may be well worth taking a look to the North tonight after dark until dawn from a dark sky site with a clear horizon. You might be able to visually detect some color in the sky if bright Aurora are present but they will likely be low on the Northern horizon.
Your camera and/or smartphone significantly improve your chances of detecting and imaging the Aurora due to their digital sensors. Even if you do not see Aurora, photograph the Northern horizon to possibly get an image of them.
Use a camera or smartphone that can take exposures of several seconds - including using “Night Sky” or “Low Light” settings if your camera has them - of the Northern horizon. Steady the camera or use a tripod for best image results. The camera can capture Aurora that your eyes did not https://www.space.com/how-to-photograph-the-aurora .
Good luck, Aurora chasers, let’s hope and be ready for another sky spectacle…….
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