The Quad Cities Has A Chance To See The Northern Lights Tonight

Decoration for the holidays won't be the only thing lighting up the sky tonight. The northern lights may also be visible to the Quad Cities.

According to KCRG the best time to view the northern Lights is within an hour of midnight but can vary. Possible viewings started after 9 p.m. Wednesday night CST through the early morning hours on Friday are a great time to look for the lights.

As of right now the QC looks great for possible viewing with mostly clear skies. If you want the best shot at seeing the lights make sure you avoid light pollution. Going to the darkest spot you can safely get to. Once you have done that simply look North.

The northern lights are truly beautiful, and according to LOC the northern lights are shafts or curtains of colored light visible on occasion in the night sky and is also called aurora polaris.

The origin of the aurora begins on the surface of the sun when solar activity ejects a cloud of gas. Scientists call this a coronal mass ejection (CME). If one of these reaches earth, taking about 2 to 3 days, it collides with the Earth’s magnetic field. This field is invisible, and if you could see its shape, it would make Earth look like a comet with a long magnetic ‘tail’ stretching a million miles behind Earth in the opposite direction of the sun.

 

While there is no guarantee we will see the light, tonight is our best Chace to get a glimpse. More information can be found here.