Community Corner
Northern Lights May Light Up Connecticut Sky Tonight
A solar flare that occurred earlier this week is expected to "cause vibrant northern lights from the Arctic as far south as New York."
This story was written by Durham Patch Editor Michael Hayes.
The chance to marvel at streams of color in the sky should be possible this evening over Connecticut. A solar flare could create a Northern Lights display starting around 8 p.m., according to a report by Accuweather.
Accuweather's astronomy report includes a graphic of the United States showing that the occurence of the Northern Lights, also called an aurora, could best be visible over Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
"Solar flares create auroras when radiation from the sun reaches Earth and interacts with charged protons in our atmosphere. The effects are greater at the magnetic poles and weaken as they move south from the Arctic or north of the Antarctic. In the northern hemisphere the results are called the aurora borealis, with the aurora australis being its southern counterpart. The result is a spectacular display of light and color for areas with clear enough views," the website says.
A partly cloudy forecast over Connecticut may impact viewing conditions.
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