The Northern Lights may be visible to people in the northern United States on December 9, 2020.
The Northern Lights, or "Aurora Borealis" are typically a spectacle for those more north, but have been recorded as far south as New Orleans, according to the Northern Lights Centre.
Due to a Geomagnetic Storm Watch recently issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Northern Lights may shine across the night sky.
What's a geomagnetic storm?
According to the NOAA, it's a disturbance that prompts an exchange of energy from solar wind in space into Earth's atmosphere. In turn it can create breathtaking lightshows, auroras, surrounding the Earth's north and south poles.
The Geomagnetic Storm Watch was issued between December 9 and 11.
How does it work?
As StormTrack 8 Meteorologist Eric Sorensen has explained, it's when a huge bubble of energy-charged particles is ejected from the sun. Those particles are then ejected from the sun and travel toward the Earth at about 1,000 miles per second.
How do I see it?
To view the Northern Lights, you don't have to be directly under the aurora. In the right conditions they can be seen from more than 620 miles away. It all depends on the degree of disturbance of the Earth's magnetic field and where you are, according to the NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center.
StormTrack 8 Meteorologist Morgan Strackbein says the lights may be visible to the Quad Cities region. Sky-watchers, however, would need to be away from the city lights, with an open view of the horizon to the north.
Below is an image of the Aurora Forecast in the Northern Hemisphere at 2:08 p.m. Central Time Wednesday.
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