Where to see the northern lights in Colorado on Friday

If you woke up Friday morning feeling extreme FOMO after seeing photos of the Aurora Borealis on social media, rest easy—you might get another chance to see it with your own eyes tonight.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center extended its warning through Friday evening, warning that operators of satellite navigation, power grids and telecommunications systems could experience disruptions from the geomagnetic storm as well as a colorful light show.

“Aurora can be seen from Pennsylvania to Iowa to Oregon,” the warning says.

It's possible to see faint colors in northern Colorado on Friday evening, scientists at the center said.

The Boulder-headquartered agency expects Friday's storm and its impacts to be slightly less intense than Thursday night's G4 storm – four out of five on the geomagnetic storm scale. Meteorologists are forecasting a Category 3 storm on Friday, which could cause problems with low-frequency radio navigation or false alarms on some devices, according to NOAA.

On Thursday evening, northern lights dazzled the night sky and people across the country reported seeing and photographing shimmering curtains of red, purple and green.

“As for Colorado, the chances of seeing it tonight are far lower, but there is a chance of seeing it a little fainter, perhaps much further up northern Colorado, if conditions are favorable for a short period of time tonight.” Shawn Dahl, a service coordinator at NOAA's Space and Weather Prediction Center, said Friday morning.

Clouds are expected to clear in the afternoon into the evening, allowing for ideal sky viewing, said Bernie Meier, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Boulder.

“From the weather it looks like a good night. Skies will be mostly clear and given the fall, there will be some cool, light weather,” Meier said. “Otherwise a nice evening at this time of year.”

Where can you see the northern lights in Colorado on Friday?

If the northern lights are visible Friday evening, it's best to catch them in northern Colorado, in areas near Fort Collins and the Wyoming border, Dahl said.

Colors were seen Thursday in areas across Colorado where it is unusual to see such intense colors. Viewers reported seeing light shows as far away as Florida.

As the storm weakens, it is less likely to capture colors as intense as Thursday or as far south, Dahl said.

“Our main expectation is that the situation will weaken, and that will reduce the ability to see it further south in Colorado,” he said.

What causes the northern lights in Colorado?

Auroras occur when powerful explosions of solar particles and magnetic fields racing through space bombard the magnetic fields around Earth and interact with gases in the atmosphere.

The explosion, known as a coronal mass ejection, was triggered by a solar flare earlier this week and was heading straight for Earth, Dahl said, adding that the intensity of the storm will ultimately depend on how the fields in the magnetic cloud are aligned are when it occurs when it encounters magnetic fields around the Earth.

“So it was pretty easy to predict an Earth effect from this, but the timing and intensity are always much harder and more challenging to figure out,” Dahl said.

Will there be more opportunities to see the Northern Lights in Colorado?

“No doubt about it,” Dahl said.

While the aurora phenomenon is relatively rare, the current solar cycle – an 11-year cycle in which the sun alternates between active and calm – is very active, Dahl said.

The current cycle could increase people's chances of seeing the northern lights in Colorado and other places in the U.S. by 2026, he said.

The Sun is currently experiencing a period of increased activity, which typically occurs around the middle of the Sun's 11-year cycle.

“We are in the grip of the solar maximum and that is why this is happening more and more often. “This cycle has been quite active, much more active than originally predicted six years ago,” Dahl said.

The light show in May was caused by a G-5 geomagnetic storm, he said. The colors observed during an aurora depend on the mixture of gases in the atmosphere. According to Space.com, reds are often observed in the most powerful geomagnetic storms and occur when solar particles react to oxygen at higher altitudes.

“We will remain in this continuous ride through the maximum for the rest of this year, into 2025 and even into 2026, before things really start to calm down.”

What other effects does a geomagnetic storm have on Earth?

Aside from predicting pretty light shows, scientists at NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center monitor geomagnetic storms to help inform people who rely on radio and GPS to operate critical infrastructure about potential impacts.

“Sometimes a complete breakdown of a system can occur if it is very extreme and unchecked, meaning no protective measures are taken,” Dahl said.

Ahead of geomagnetic storm G-4 on Thursday, scientists at the center spoke with officials from the White House, FEMA and other emergency managers providing assistance to people in Florida after Hurricane Milton.

Some planes had significant glitches in their navigation systems and had to rely on other navigation methods, Dahl said, adding that he was not aware of any safety issues.

More tips to increase your chances of seeing a light show in Colorado tonight

• The best time to see the Northern Lights is from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., according to NOAA. However, because it gets darker earlier, Dahl said the colors could be seen earlier, about two hours after sunset.
• Get away from the city lights. The best Northern Lights are visible without artificial lighting.
• Try to watch from a high vantage point, such as: B. from a hill with a clear view to the north.
• Sometimes the lights are invisible to the naked eye. To capture the colors on your smartphone, use a sturdy tripod, dim your screen and set the exposure time to 10 to 15 seconds, recommends Visit Island, Iceland's tourism website.