Will northern lights be visible in Boise? Here’s the best time to look up
The northern lights may mglow on the horizon just north of the Boise city lights.
There’s a chance that the aurora borealis will appear in the sky above Idaho’s capital city on Thursday, June 4, according to the National Weather Service.
A coronal mass ejection was slated to hit Earth sometime late Thursday afternoon into Thursday night.
“There’s a good probability of aurora over the Northern Hemisphere,” Korri Anderson, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Boise, told the Idaho Statesman over the phone.
Here’s when to look up:
What causes aurora borealis to appear in the sky?
The aurora borealis is caused by “an intricate dance of particles and magnetism between the sun and Earth called space weather,” NASA said. “An aurora can appear in a variety of colors, from an eerie green to blue and purple to pink and red.”
This particular aurora may be caused by a series of explosive coronal mass ejections, also known as solar flares, from Tuesday, June 2, the National Weather Service’s Space Weather Prediction Center said in a Wednesday, June 3, post on X.
“This is a rather complex series of events and circumstances,” that may allow for a glimpse of the northern lights if the ejections stay earthbound on their path, the prediction center said.
There is a chance that other solar activity may knock them off course, according to space weather officials.
Will the northern lights be visible in Boise?
“There’s a chance” that Boise could see the aurora borealis but “it’s never guaranteed,” Anderson said.
You may get an opportunity to see the phenomenon along the horizon.
As of 3:40 p.m. Thursday, the solar flare predicted to hit earth hadn’t made an impact yet.
However, there is a 16-hour window for the northern lights to make an appearance, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center.
“It could be six to eight hours earlier and eight hours later,” Anderson said.
Confidence in the aurora borealis is “fair,” Space Weather Prediction Center officials said.
What’s the best way to view northern lights in Boise?
The Space Weather Prediction Center predicts aurora movement in 30-minute forecasts, so keep an eye on the radar and be ready if you want to catch the phenomenon.
“The best viewing window will be with astro twilight, so around 11:30 p.m. to 3:45 a.m. if it does happen,” Anderson told the Statesman. “If you get away from the city lights, there’s a chance you can see it.
“Each one is each one of these (coronal mass ejections) is different, and so it’s kind of hard to pinpoint.”
To spot an aurora, “Go out at night,” the Space Weather Prediction Center said. “Get away from city lights.”
A fuller moon may also interfere with seeing the aurora, the prediction center said. Look away from the lunar face or find an object to shield it from view.
