INDIANA, USA — We will likely see the northern lights again across Indiana. The storm is slightly weaker but we will have clearer skies to view the aurora. Will the sky look pink again? Why was it pink last night?
Tap HERE to track the clouds with our interactive satellite.
The photos from Friday night were stunning, not just here in Indiana but across the country! Most photos were very pink, with some photos showing more green the farther north you went.
Can I see the northern lights tonight? Where?
Here comes another of northern lights across much of United States. The National Weather Service's Space Weather Prediction Center has upgraded the storm for Saturday night, fluctuating between a G4 and G5 storm. G5 storms allow for a widespread chance to see the northern lights in Indiana. However, we may not hit G5 status until sunrise, which ruins the view because the sun puts off too much light.
Report from Knightstown, Indiana around 10:45PM eastern:
Most of Indiana, away from city lights, should be able to see the northern lights Saturday night with a long-exposure camera. If you have a smartphone, just point your phone at the sky and take a longer capture photo to allow enough light to see the lights show up.
Extreme northern Indiana may be able to see the lights at times with your eyes, but most likely you will need a camera.
Most of the time you will need a camera to see the lights more easily.
Why was the sky so pink?
Northern Indiana had more green while southern Indiana had more pink. Sometimes there wasn't much definition either. Why was this?
We were viewing the very top of the northern lights display. Plus, the intensity of the lights is constantly changing. If you took a timelapse, you would see a lot of movement in the sky.
There are multiple layers to the aurora. As energized particles from the sun interactive with our thermosphere, colors of light appear. The color depends on how much oxygen or nitrogen can be found at that layer.
The pink is from the upper bands of the aurora, usually at least 150 miles above the ground.
The green is roughly 120 to 150 miles above the ground.
The purple is roughly 90 to 120 miles above the ground, harder to see because of the dark night sky.
The blue is roughly 60 to 90 miles above the ground, harder to see because of the dark night sky.
They sky was pink because the auroras were still farther north over Alaska and Canada. From the central and southern United States, we were just seeing the top of the northern lights.
This photo was from Friday night in Alberta, Canada. You can see some of the bottoms of the aurora with the blue, purple, and green. The pink is way up there but you can't see it. This photo is looking directly up. (picture credit: Dylan Gregory)
What to expect Saturday night?
The northern lights across Indiana will likely look pink again. Fewer clouds should make for some easier viewing, even though the storm may be a bit weaker.
How to see them?
- Look up between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. (they will fluctuate in intensity through the night)
- Get at least 2-5 miles away from city lights
- Look north using your camera
- Take a long-exposure picture (few seconds, the more seconds you do, the more light you will let into the camera)
Good luck! Happy aurora chasing!
— 13News Meteorologist Matt Standridge