For the past nine days, many stargazers in the northern hemisphere have been able to catch a glimpse of the enigmatic night time light show known as the northern lights.
If you've missed out on the spectacle so far, you may get another chance between Wednesday, Sept. 13 and Saturday, Sept. 16, according to predictions from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The Northern Lights (or the aurora borealis) are caused when electrically charged particles from the sun collide and enter the earth's atmosphere, according to EarthSky.org.
The colliding disturbances drive electrons in the atmosphere wild, causing them to emit the photons we experience as the fascinating light show of the aurora borealis.
Credit: OLIVIER MORIN
Credit: OLIVIER MORIN
According to Conde Nast Traveler, a sunspot known as Active Region (AR) 2673 has released a total of seven flares since September 4. As a result, Americans in the north have had at least two chances at catching the lights in the past nine days.
If conditions are right, residents in parts of Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia and Washington may also get a rare chance to witness the spectacle.
NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center has a nifty 30-minute aurora forecast and a three-day forecast model on its website where you can follow the lights yourself.
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Note that the aurora will not be visible during daylight hours and it may be an hour or more before sunrise or after sunset that the aurora can be seen from earth.
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