Aurora Borealis Visible In New York, Washington

An Aurora Borealis solar phenomenon was visible in parts of New York, Pennsylvania, Washington and parts of the US Midwest on Saturday evening.

Auroras occur when solar wind collides with charged protons in the planet’s atmosphere. This phenomenon then causes a dazzling multi-colored display in the night sky. Aurora borealis are colloquially known as the northern lights, while aurora australis are colloquially known as the southern lights

Prior to the northern lights, Accuweather.com had reported, "The flare is also expected to cause vibrant northern lights from the Arctic as far south as New York, the Dakotas, Washington and Michigan, with a smaller possibility of it going into Pennsylvania and Iowa, even Kansas. The lights are currently estimated for 8 p.m. EDT Saturday arrival, with a possible deviation of up to seven hours. If the radiation hits much after dark settles on the East Coast the lights may be missed and will instead only be visible for the West."

Typically, Aurora Borealis can only be seen from locations much nearer to the North Pole – in Fairbanks, Alaska or Yellowknife, Canada for instance. Despite the diversified areas of the country that could’ve caught a glimpse of this particular celestial light show, other factors still stood in the way of anxious sky-watchers. Cloud cover, a full moon and urban light pollution all could have hindered a potential sighting.