The northern lights were visible across Columbia on Tuesday night, but mid-Missouri residents may have another chance to see the lights this week.
Based on the forecast, Haojing Yan, a University of Missouri physics and astronomy professor, said there's a “good chance” the northern lights will be visible again Wednesday.
He said the best time to see the lights will be after 10 p.m. but before sunrise.
“Just find a dark place,” Yan said. “And you will have to be patient.”
The northern lights are a visual display of released energy, according to NASA. It occurs when the Earth's magnetic field guides charged particles, produced by the sun, to the pole regions.
The extra energy releases as “tiny specks of light” — the colorful illuminations most visible during evening hours.
“You can imagine that our earth is like a big magnet,” Yan said. “Those charged particles coming to both poles, hitting our atmosphere and creating this kind of light — aurora.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts visibility in 21 states for Wednesday, from Alaska to Maine and as far south as mid-Iowa.
Yan said the northern lights are visible farther south because of the current solar maximum, a peak in the sun’s roughly 11-year cycle.
“Because of the huge activity now we are experiencing, and lots of charged particles are hitting on our atmosphere right now,” Yan said, noting this is more than usual. “So, this is why we can see so far south.”
