Northern Lights May Be Visible Over Connecticut, Peaking Thursday

CONNECTICUT — The famous Northern Lights may be seen a little further south this week, and lucky Connecticut residents could have good seats for the show.

According to the Space Weather Prediction Center at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a flare-up from the sun is predicted to interact with Earth through Friday, peaking Thursday.

As a result of the solar hiccup, the Aurora Borealis, created when charged particles from the sun interact with the earth's magnetic field, could trickle as far south as the Nutmeg State. Under normal conditions, the majestic lights are strictly a polar phenomenon.

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An aurora is created when charged particles from the sun interact with the earth's magnetic field. It is usually confined to the poles, but events like this — a "coronal mass injection," in astrophysics lingo — can create a stronger aurora that reaches more toward the equator than usual.

If like us you can't tell your Planetary K-Index from your Proton Flux, no worries. Like NORAD mapping out Santa's annual trek southward, NOAA has plotted the aurora's outreach as well. The Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska has also stepped up, with its own forecasting tool.

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Of course, it's all for naught if the solar storm peaks during the day, or if the weather doesn't cooperate. The National Weather Service is calling for clear skies over Hartford for most of Thursday night, with some patchy fog rolling in after 3 a.m. Light pollution in your neighborhood could also impact your Aurora Experience.