Northern lights are possible in West Michigan Thursday evening and into the weekend

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The northern lights could become visible in western Michigan late Thursday, which could potentially be the first of several nights when it's possible to see them.

Geomagnetic Storm Warnings have been issued by the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) for October 4-6, 2024. Meteorologists said events of this magnitude were rare but not unheard of.

Two coronal mass ejections (CME) associated with two solar flares in recent days sent charged particles hurtling through space toward Earth. A coronal mass ejection is an eruption of plasma from the surface of the Sun.

When the explosion of charged particles occurs on the Earth-facing part of the Sun, those on a trajectory toward Earth excite atoms and molecules in our atmosphere near the poles as they arrive. This interaction results in the release of photons, or particles of light, that we know as the northern lights.

NASA and SWPC models showed the first CME arrived late Thursday morning into early Friday morning. This could serve as preparation for the second and stronger CME, which could arrive late Friday into early Saturday.

According to the SWPC, at this level limited and minor impacts on some technological infrastructure are possible, but most can be mitigated.

With conditions expected to worsen through the weekend, it is possible that the Northern Lights will be visible after dark on Friday and Saturday evening.

While space weather researchers can generally predict when the aurora might occur, a more accurate estimate of arrival typically only takes about 30 minutes. The SWPC homepage offers its Aurora forecast, which gives the most up-to-date overview of when activity could increase.

If it seems unusual to have so many chances to see the Northern Lights lately, that's because the Sun is currently in a very active part of its roughly 11-year sunspot cycle.

Tips for spotting northern lights

• Location: Find a place from which you can see north. With the right vantage point, for example on a hill with a clear view to the north, you can see the northern lights even 600 miles further north.
• The darker the sky, the better: Go out at night and get away from the city lights. The full moon also reduces the apparent brightness of the aurora (not the actual brightness).
• Timing: The best aurora usually occurs one to two hours after midnight (between 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. local time).
• Keep your expectations a little low: Even during a strong geomagnetic storm, auroras are not always visible to the naked eye. Photos showing the northern lights often come from high-quality long exposure cameras and do not always represent what we can see with our eyes.
• Stay up to date: The Space Weather Prediction Center's 30-minute forecast is a great tool when trying to spot the Northern Lights.

Many newer smartphones have a night photography feature that works surprisingly well when it comes to capturing the Northern Lights. Here is a quick tutorial for newer iPhone models.

Have fun watching the sky! If you capture the Northern Lights or Perseids, you can share your photos with News Channel 3 via our Chime-In page.