US may catch a glimpse of brilliant northern lights

Scientists warned that a solar storm was on its way when they spotted a wave of charged particles erupting from a sunspot on the surface of the sun, which blasted massive solar flares into space.

A rare spectacle light show tonight
As the wave of supercharged gas washes over the Earth on Tuesday, hammering its protective natural magnetic field, it is likely to spark spectacular displays of auroras, commonly known as the northern lights.

The northern lights, common in far northern latitudes like Canada and Alaska, are rarely seen in the middle latitudes.

However, since the solar eruptions were big, there is a good chance that people in the northern tier of the U.S. will be able to see the rippling waves of reddish or greenish light in the sky.

Astronomer Leon Golub, of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics stated, "This eruption is directed right at us, and is expected to get here early in the day on Aug. 4th.

"We got a beautiful view of this eruption. And there might be more beautiful views to come if it triggers aurorae."

The stage is set for people in parts of Montana, the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Maine to be treated to a brilliant auroral spectacle tonight.

A word of advice by astronomers
The stage is set for people in parts of Montana, the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Maine to be treated to a brilliant auroral spectacle tonight.

According to experts, in order to get a glimpse of the beautiful aurora, the people need to move away from the city lights and the light pollution.

The best time to watch the glowing lights is after the sunset when day lights convert into the night.

The red and green lights will be most visible starting around 9:30 tonight if there is no moonlight and the sky is clear and there are few trees and buildings obstructing the view.

Charles Kerton, associate professor of physics and astronomy at Iowa State University said, "you're not going to be able to go outside and look straight up and see them pulsing overhead, but it would be above the horizon.”

He added, "The darker the sky, the nicer it's going to be for you to see them."

This is the first of the wave of the solar storms to hit the earth, but a second wave of aurora is expected by space weather forecasters on Thursday.