Northern Lights in Maine

Do you remember the Northern Lights dancing in the sky when you were a kid? I saw them several times, but almost always in winter. Keep your eyes low on the horizon this evening for a chance to see the Northern Lights in summer.

Maine is in the belt of high auroral activity this evening, and the further north you go, the better your chances are of viewing the Aurora Borealis, according to the aurora forecasters at the University of Alaska. Anything below latitude 55 (Maine is at latitude 45) might have issues with the evening light, so best time to see the Northern Lights for us will be around midnight. Look north, at the horizon line.

The auroras (Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis) are caused by solar flares. A huge flare on Tuesday, coupled with a coronal mass ejection, actually is distorting the earth’s magnetic fields and causing northern and southern lights Wednesday and Thursday night.