The Chicago area will likely experience another dazzling light show late Saturday as a “very rare” geomagnetic storm supercharges the Northern Lights again.
Skies across a large swath of the U.S. were lit up by the aurora borealis, commonly referred to as the Northern Lights, including those that don’t typically see the phenomenon.
Photos captured across the globe, including in the Chicago area, showed bright-colored skies in pink, purple and green.
The geomagnetic storm reached intensity G5 on a 1-5 scale, making it the strongest storm to reach Earth’s atmosphere since October 2003, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center.
For those hoping to see the Northern Lights, you’ll want to venture outdoors anytime after total darkness, which will be around 9 p.m. The best viewing experience will likely be anytime between then and midnight, the period of peak visibility.
There will still be some impressive displays after midnight, however, according to NBC 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Pete Sack.
While the displays will be stunning, they won’t be quite as intense as Friday night’s.
According to NOAA, storming of varying intensity” is expected to persist through at least Sunday.
According to the NOAA, a G5 storm brings “extreme” conditions, which can lead to voltage control problems, outages of high-frequency radio propagations and possible damage to power grids and transformers. The agency has received reports of power grid issues and degradation to GPS and other high-frequency communications.
The “very rare” solar storm arrived earlier than expected on Friday, spurring the NOAA to issue its first rare geomagnetic storm warning since 2005.
Michelle Nichols, director of public observing at the Adler Planetarium, shared a few tips for the best possible viewing experience.
“Get out when it’s dark, get away from light pollution,” Nichols stated. “Auroras tend to be dim, so away from city lights.”
If you can’t travel, you might not be totally out of luck.
“Put bright lights to your back,” she recommended. “You might not see, but there’s a better chance.”
If you can’t see the Northern Lights with your own eyes, your cell phone’s time-lapse camera might pick up a cool shot.
Once Saturday is in the books, there might still be a few more chances to see aurora borealis.
The geomagnetic field is expected to reach “severe storm levels” on Sunday, “active to severe storm levels” on Monday, and “unsettled to minor storm levels” on Tuesday.
