Aurora Borealis Lights up the Sky Sunday Night

Northern Lights put on a show in the Lake Chelan Valley

by Loni Rahm, photos courtesy of Brian Patterson and Sy Stepanov

If you were lucky enough to be up and looking outside towards the north last night, you may have caught a glimpse of the atmospheric phenomenon known as Aurora Borealis, or more commonly – the Northern Lights. This natural light show displays a colorful glow in the northern part of the sky with a variety of gently swirling patterns, colors and shapes.

On average, the Northern Lights are visible from a variety of vantage points in Washington State 2 or 3 x per year. The most common times to spot them are winter nights, just after sunset on occasion but more often between 10 pm and 2 am. The best sightings will be from a northern facing location that is high and dark, and generally when the moon is in a waning or new phase which limits ancillary light.

Want to try and catch the next display? You can improve your odds by logging onto the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center. Click on their aurora 30-minute forecast.

For additional information about Aurora Borealis, visit the Space.com site and click on where to see the northern lights.