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CLEVELAND (WJW) — A strong geomagnetic storm could create a dazzling aurora in the skies above Northeast Ohio overnight Monday.
But northern lights tend to be unpredictable, so sky watchers should temper their expectations, said local astronomer Jay Reynolds.
A coronal mass ejection erupted from the sun on Saturday and it’s expected to impact Earth on Monday through Monday night, said FOX 8 Meteorologist James Parish.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Sunday issued a strong geomagnetic storm watch for Tuesday — a three on a five-tier scale.
If the storm is as strong as forecasted, an aurora could be visible as far from the North Pole as Pennsylvania, Iowa and Oregon, according to the administration.
Reynolds said he rarely tries to predict visible auroras, since they can be fickle — “kind of like cats. They kind of do what they want to do.”
“You won’t know until about six hours before,” he said. “The sun is very active, but we need something really strong to be able to see it.”
One geomagnetic storm that made lights dance across Northeast Ohio skies last year was a G5 — the highest category — and it punched harder than expected, Reynolds said.
He said he viewed last year’s aurora from Edgewater Beach, along with other reverent — and quiet — sky watchers.
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FOX 8 photo -
FOX 8 photo -
FOX 8 photo -
FOX 8 photo -
FOX 8 photo -
FOX 8 photo -
Huntington Beach, Paige Viernes -
Huntington Beach, Paige Viernes -
Courtesy: Kara Prebish, Parkman Township, Geauga County -
Courtesy: Kara Prebish, Parkman Township, Geauga County -
Courtesy: Kara Prebish, Parkman Township, Geauga County -
Bhawana Singh, Huntington Beach -
Bhawana Singh, Huntington Beach -
Northern lights in Rocky River, courtesy of Chris Gibilisco
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Northern lights in Rocky River, courtesy of Chris Gibilisco
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Northern lights in Rocky River, courtesy of Chris Gibilisco
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Northern lights in Brook Park, courtesy of Troy Taylor
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Northern lights in Brook Park, courtesy of Troy Taylor
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Northern lights in Brook Park, courtesy of Troy Taylor
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Northern lights in Brook Park, courtesy of Troy Taylor
The best way to see the northern lights
Parish suggested the peak viewing time could be between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. on Tuesday.
Reynolds said Northeast Ohioans could just look north anytime after 9:30 p.m.
Sky watchers want a place with a low horizon and as little light pollution as possible, he said. Somewhere along Lake Erie would be ideal.
If you can’t see anything with your naked eye, try pointing a cell phone camera at the sky — which is better at picking up light because it has a larger iris — and set it to take a long exposure.
“You may get a photo you can hang on the wall and say you captured that,” Reynolds said.
Don’t forget to send your photos to tips@FOX8.com!
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Justin Dennis
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