Could we see the aurora in central Pennsylvania Thursday? Rare solar weather watch issued

Ever seen the aurora borealis? Ever seen it in Pennsylvania?

Thursday night may be your best chance since May to see the northern lights in central Pennsylvania, according to advisories issued by NOAA.

A rarely-issued G4 (severe) solar weather watch was issued for Oct. 10 through Oct. 11, NOAA announced in an advisory Wednesday morning.

"A fast coronal mass ejection (CME) erupted from the Sun the evening of 8 October, 2024, and is likely to arrive at Earth on 10 October," the watch said.

According to NOAA, the solar activity may cause the aurora borealis to be seen "as far south as Alabama or northern California," and may be visible across the northern United States.

Weather conditions have aligned favorably in the area, with Accuweather reporting 0% cloud cover on Thursday night, Oct. 10, into Friday morning in the York-Hanover area. Temperatures will be in the high 30s and low 40s, according to Accuweather, which will necessitate a jacket for those looking to see the lights.

The G4 watch was last issued in May, when a powerful solar storm caused the northern lights to be seen across much of the United States. That watch, in May, was the first issued in 19 years, with the watch before it coming in 2005.

During that storm, while not always visible with the naked eye, many in the region recorded images of the lights on cameras and cellphones, which are more sensitive to light. Viewers should make an effort to use long exposures, which are more likely to capture the aurora.

"Things that the human eye can't see, your phone can,"  Brent Gordon, Chief of Space Weather Services Branch for the Space Weather Prediction Center at NOAA told reporters in a May press call about the May solar storm.

Some recent cellphones, which have a 'night mode,' may also be better suited to capturing the low-light conditions of the aurora.

The best time to see an aurora is often between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., according to NOAA. Viewers should make an attempt to get away from city lights, to maximize their chances of seeing an aurora, NOAA said.

Despite the forecasts, meteorologists have said that space weather is notoriously hard to predict, due to the sheer distance involved - 93-million-miles.

This year's flurry of solar activity come as the sun approaches the 11-year solar maximum of solar cycle 25, which is expected to peak in late 2024 or early 2025, according to NASA.

Harrison Jones is the Hanover reporter for the Evening Sun. Reach him at hjones@gannett.com .

This article originally appeared on Hanover Evening Sun: Could we see the aurora in central Pennsylvania Thursday? Rare solar weather watch issued