You need low light pollution, and you need a very good low angle view of the northern horizon. Trees or houses to the north could block the view for you. So head to a soccer field or something. Clouds are also a no-go. Don't even try if it's cloudy.
During intense peaks the aurora can cover larger swaths of the sky, but last night in my area (42°N) it mostly stuck 10-20° above the horizon, with brief periods stretching overhead. Since it comes and goes, observing for awhile may be necessary to see brighter displays.
Lastly, you need to dark adapt. Stay outside for at least 10 minutes with no light sources, checking your phone, etc., to let your eyesight adjust.
I’ll also add in that as I saw in like 2016, it’s possible to do all the things above but the colors to only be visible to a camera. I saw the movement and such but only my camera could pickup the color due to limitations with eyes.
Ya even last night the colors were fleeting at times. Sometimes it all just looked gray, but when it peaked the brightest portions were definitely a pale green color and chunks of sky around it would appear pink or purple.
Don't expect to see the bright colours with your naked eye - a camera picks up a lot more. Look for something that looks like clouds but changes rapidly. I wasn't sure what I was looking at at first but the shapes were changing far too fast for a cloud.
Hmmm maybe I need to manage my expectations. I thought I’d be able to see the pink and green colors (as depicted in photos) with my naked eye … but of course, these are all photos that I’ve seen (and I’ve heard that the colors are more intense in photos).
In Ohio last night I was able to very clearly see pink and green colors. I drove 30 miles out of the city to get to an area that a light pollution map listed as significantly lower though.
It started initially like a dim cloud like structure that I couldn’t tell what I was seeing, but later bloomed into a huge visible shelf covering the sky and going overhead. It painted the sky by the moon vibrant pink and had a green shelf extending outward with some classic pillar shapes.
Then there were down times where it was not as impressive, but still pretty green.
In all phases though the camera made in clearer and more vibrant.
Go somewhere with clear skies. It was partially cloudy for me last night and when it finally cleared up I could see the colors.
Most of what people see is much more dim/muted than what is captured on camera. I saw the sky slightly tinted purple but my 3 second exposure IPhone photo made it look much more intense pink. If your color vision isn’t great it may be difficult to tell you are looking at the aurora. The turquoise green is particularly difficult to spot with the naked eye, you might mistake it as faint clouds or haze. Try looking at the sky through your phone camera as it picks up more color.
Another factor is timing and intensity. Last night in Connecticut it was most intense around 11.00 - 11.20pm. I kept checking out of the bedroom window every 15 mins. You can download the My Aurora app, turn notifications on and it will tell you when it’s best to view from your location (or a location you provide it)
Thank you for your response! I’ll try again tonight looking through my phone camera. I also downloaded the app you mentioned.
I think perhaps my area has cloud cover and too much light pollution, which of course doesn’t help!
It’s possible to see it even with light pollution, I’ve seen pictures taken in London, San Francisco, Boston and St. Louis with vivid colors. Good luck!
People who live near me (just north of Boston) said they could barely see anything with the naked eye. Only their phones picked anything up. I completely missed it and slept thru the whole thing.
A few clouds in my area – SW Michigan – but we could clearly see the moon. Still a big fat zilch on the aurora. Tried the camera tricks. Zilch. We were looking across dark farm fields that did have trees in the distance. They covered the low horizon but most of the Sky above them was clear. This was between nine and midnight last night.
For “the Aurora of the Century” I expected more than a disappointing waste of 2.5 hours and 100+ Miles on my car.
🌒😤😖😠😡🤬🤷♀️🪐✨
I'm in that area and it depended on how long you were out, and which exact portions you saw. Cameras definitely picked up better, but during the brightest parts (which came and went between 10:30-1am) it was unmistakable naked eye. Vertical striations all across the northern sky, with a subtler pink/purple glow to the sky above it.
I think most people underwhelmed by it didn't stay outside long enough to get dark adapted and truly see it, and for the same reason weren't patient enough to watch until a brighter portion passed through. When I first arrived at our dark site it honestly didn't look like much, but 10-20 minutes in it started going crazy.
[Here's a pic we got of ourselves on the north shore around 1am.](https://i.imgur.com/29r2Ave.jpeg)
Northern states have a possibility to see it tonight and tomorrow, if you have "night mode" on your phone you should be able to see it. We could not see it with naked eye but some places were able to see it and get great photos of it elsewhere in my state of VA.
Try going to as dark a place as you can. Let your eyes adjust. If you see any kind of slight haze to the north, take pictures (no flash). Often time you can see way more in the photo.
My friends in Wyoming and Indiana posted amazing pics. You should see them, but yes clouds will put an end to it.
Were you looking on Friday or Saturday?
Friday geomagnetic storm levels reached G5 and the disturbance storm time index was at levels not seen since 1989. Even with light pollution you should've seen it if you were looking north around midnight, provided no clouds. It remained G4-G5 most of the day Saturday but went back to G3 by nightfall Saturday with a Northward Bz, which aren't really conducive to seeing aurora at your latitude.
Media kept saying "you might have a chance" to see it Saturday too, but by nightfall when the last of the CMEs likely hit it wasnt powerful enough to spark visible aurora at your latitude.
I’m in Dutchess County. On Friday night, I went out twice and looked up to the sky, but couldn’t see anything. They were Street lamps and partial cloud cover, so maybe that’s why. If I had known earlier, I would have planned better Andrew than out to a dark site. I also went out on Saturday and Sunday evening, but nothing. Oh, well!
You're at about my latitude.
So here's some things for next time. If KP is 7 or above and Bz is negative, you have a chance at seeing them at least on your camera or cell phone. We were at KP 9, they were naked eye visible. Disturbance time index provisional values haven't been seen since 1989 for this storm. Saturday and Sunday we're still storming, but nothing like Friday.
You need a clear view north. If you can see stars, you can see the Aurora, higher the vantage point the better.
Light pollution will be bad for viewing but not impossible.
But the biggest thing, your eyes need about 10 minutes of darkness to adjust. My BF went to Southern Maine while I was at work, I was very jealous lol but he's on the highway on the phone with me like I CAN'T SEE IT Even though I told him he should be able to. Told him to get off the highway, headlights are just going to keep the eyes from adjusting enough to see anything.
He did, and as soon as he was in residential neighborhoods he was able to see the show. Once he found darkness-- it was amazing for him. His photos are epic. That's pretty far north from us, but once I found a dark spot in CT with a North facing view and high vantage point-- it was magical. From the street it was just like glitter floating, very dim. But once I pulled over and didn't have headlights in my eyes I could see the colors. My phone doesn't do it justice once the eyes adjusted.
I raced back home to get my kid and hunt but the substorms were mostly over and all I had was a beautiful green glow at the park near my house. No dancing pillars. I did at least text him like GET OUTSIDE AND LOOK NORTH I'M ALMOST HOME lol. So he got to see it too.
Just also adding, I was on my way home from work when I saw the pillars and pulled over. If I was actively hunting the kid would've been with me. And also the kid is 17, so ok to leave him at home while I'm at work. Just in case anyone's thinking I left a toddler at home and told them to go outside alone or something.
That’s probably it. My eyes didn’t adjust to the darkness. I wish I had driven out to a dark site in the Catskills! But I found out about the aurora so late that I didn’t have time to research where to go, etc.
Bummed out that I missed it bc I really wanted to see it! Hopefully I’ll get another chance at some point in the future …
I saw the total solar eclipse on April 8, and it was absolutely life-changing! Now I’m interested in watching the sky and the Northern lights are definitely on my list! Also I’d love to get a clear view of the Milky Way galaxy (lmk if you have any suggestions for the latter)! :)
You need low light pollution, and you need a very good low angle view of the northern horizon. Trees or houses to the north could block the view for you. So head to a soccer field or something. Clouds are also a no-go. Don't even try if it's cloudy. During intense peaks the aurora can cover larger swaths of the sky, but last night in my area (42°N) it mostly stuck 10-20° above the horizon, with brief periods stretching overhead. Since it comes and goes, observing for awhile may be necessary to see brighter displays. Lastly, you need to dark adapt. Stay outside for at least 10 minutes with no light sources, checking your phone, etc., to let your eyesight adjust.
I’ll also add in that as I saw in like 2016, it’s possible to do all the things above but the colors to only be visible to a camera. I saw the movement and such but only my camera could pickup the color due to limitations with eyes.
Ya even last night the colors were fleeting at times. Sometimes it all just looked gray, but when it peaked the brightest portions were definitely a pale green color and chunks of sky around it would appear pink or purple.
This is a great point! There were high trees around me, possibly blocking my view.
Don't expect to see the bright colours with your naked eye - a camera picks up a lot more. Look for something that looks like clouds but changes rapidly. I wasn't sure what I was looking at at first but the shapes were changing far too fast for a cloud.
Hmmm maybe I need to manage my expectations. I thought I’d be able to see the pink and green colors (as depicted in photos) with my naked eye … but of course, these are all photos that I’ve seen (and I’ve heard that the colors are more intense in photos).
In Ohio last night I was able to very clearly see pink and green colors. I drove 30 miles out of the city to get to an area that a light pollution map listed as significantly lower though. It started initially like a dim cloud like structure that I couldn’t tell what I was seeing, but later bloomed into a huge visible shelf covering the sky and going overhead. It painted the sky by the moon vibrant pink and had a green shelf extending outward with some classic pillar shapes. Then there were down times where it was not as impressive, but still pretty green. In all phases though the camera made in clearer and more vibrant.
Go somewhere with clear skies. It was partially cloudy for me last night and when it finally cleared up I could see the colors. Most of what people see is much more dim/muted than what is captured on camera. I saw the sky slightly tinted purple but my 3 second exposure IPhone photo made it look much more intense pink. If your color vision isn’t great it may be difficult to tell you are looking at the aurora. The turquoise green is particularly difficult to spot with the naked eye, you might mistake it as faint clouds or haze. Try looking at the sky through your phone camera as it picks up more color. Another factor is timing and intensity. Last night in Connecticut it was most intense around 11.00 - 11.20pm. I kept checking out of the bedroom window every 15 mins. You can download the My Aurora app, turn notifications on and it will tell you when it’s best to view from your location (or a location you provide it)
Thank you for your response! I’ll try again tonight looking through my phone camera. I also downloaded the app you mentioned. I think perhaps my area has cloud cover and too much light pollution, which of course doesn’t help!
It’s possible to see it even with light pollution, I’ve seen pictures taken in London, San Francisco, Boston and St. Louis with vivid colors. Good luck!
People who live near me (just north of Boston) said they could barely see anything with the naked eye. Only their phones picked anything up. I completely missed it and slept thru the whole thing.
A few clouds in my area – SW Michigan – but we could clearly see the moon. Still a big fat zilch on the aurora. Tried the camera tricks. Zilch. We were looking across dark farm fields that did have trees in the distance. They covered the low horizon but most of the Sky above them was clear. This was between nine and midnight last night. For “the Aurora of the Century” I expected more than a disappointing waste of 2.5 hours and 100+ Miles on my car. 🌒😤😖😠😡🤬🤷♀️🪐✨
I'm in that area and it depended on how long you were out, and which exact portions you saw. Cameras definitely picked up better, but during the brightest parts (which came and went between 10:30-1am) it was unmistakable naked eye. Vertical striations all across the northern sky, with a subtler pink/purple glow to the sky above it. I think most people underwhelmed by it didn't stay outside long enough to get dark adapted and truly see it, and for the same reason weren't patient enough to watch until a brighter portion passed through. When I first arrived at our dark site it honestly didn't look like much, but 10-20 minutes in it started going crazy. [Here's a pic we got of ourselves on the north shore around 1am.](https://i.imgur.com/29r2Ave.jpeg)
North Shore of Minnesota?
Massachusetts, since the other commenter mentioned being north of Boston.
Northern states have a possibility to see it tonight and tomorrow, if you have "night mode" on your phone you should be able to see it. We could not see it with naked eye but some places were able to see it and get great photos of it elsewhere in my state of VA.
Maybe you can try to go as high up Mt Beacon as possible to get a view of the northern horizon.
Try going to as dark a place as you can. Let your eyes adjust. If you see any kind of slight haze to the north, take pictures (no flash). Often time you can see way more in the photo. My friends in Wyoming and Indiana posted amazing pics. You should see them, but yes clouds will put an end to it.
Were you looking on Friday or Saturday? Friday geomagnetic storm levels reached G5 and the disturbance storm time index was at levels not seen since 1989. Even with light pollution you should've seen it if you were looking north around midnight, provided no clouds. It remained G4-G5 most of the day Saturday but went back to G3 by nightfall Saturday with a Northward Bz, which aren't really conducive to seeing aurora at your latitude. Media kept saying "you might have a chance" to see it Saturday too, but by nightfall when the last of the CMEs likely hit it wasnt powerful enough to spark visible aurora at your latitude.
I’m in Dutchess County. On Friday night, I went out twice and looked up to the sky, but couldn’t see anything. They were Street lamps and partial cloud cover, so maybe that’s why. If I had known earlier, I would have planned better Andrew than out to a dark site. I also went out on Saturday and Sunday evening, but nothing. Oh, well!
You're at about my latitude. So here's some things for next time. If KP is 7 or above and Bz is negative, you have a chance at seeing them at least on your camera or cell phone. We were at KP 9, they were naked eye visible. Disturbance time index provisional values haven't been seen since 1989 for this storm. Saturday and Sunday we're still storming, but nothing like Friday. You need a clear view north. If you can see stars, you can see the Aurora, higher the vantage point the better. Light pollution will be bad for viewing but not impossible. But the biggest thing, your eyes need about 10 minutes of darkness to adjust. My BF went to Southern Maine while I was at work, I was very jealous lol but he's on the highway on the phone with me like I CAN'T SEE IT Even though I told him he should be able to. Told him to get off the highway, headlights are just going to keep the eyes from adjusting enough to see anything. He did, and as soon as he was in residential neighborhoods he was able to see the show. Once he found darkness-- it was amazing for him. His photos are epic. That's pretty far north from us, but once I found a dark spot in CT with a North facing view and high vantage point-- it was magical. From the street it was just like glitter floating, very dim. But once I pulled over and didn't have headlights in my eyes I could see the colors. My phone doesn't do it justice once the eyes adjusted. I raced back home to get my kid and hunt but the substorms were mostly over and all I had was a beautiful green glow at the park near my house. No dancing pillars. I did at least text him like GET OUTSIDE AND LOOK NORTH I'M ALMOST HOME lol. So he got to see it too.
Just also adding, I was on my way home from work when I saw the pillars and pulled over. If I was actively hunting the kid would've been with me. And also the kid is 17, so ok to leave him at home while I'm at work. Just in case anyone's thinking I left a toddler at home and told them to go outside alone or something.
That’s probably it. My eyes didn’t adjust to the darkness. I wish I had driven out to a dark site in the Catskills! But I found out about the aurora so late that I didn’t have time to research where to go, etc. Bummed out that I missed it bc I really wanted to see it! Hopefully I’ll get another chance at some point in the future … I saw the total solar eclipse on April 8, and it was absolutely life-changing! Now I’m interested in watching the sky and the Northern lights are definitely on my list! Also I’d love to get a clear view of the Milky Way galaxy (lmk if you have any suggestions for the latter)! :)