Can you see the Northern Lights with your eyes?

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS)— Many people wonder why they can’t see the Northern Lights with their eyes. So, we went to figure it out for ourselves.

The Northern Lights are a beautiful sight to see when you’re using the latest cellphones, but it’s not so easy to see them without a camera.

Christian Mehregan, an ophthalmologist at LoEyecare says that’s far from the truth.

“Yeah, the human eyes can see Northern lights when lightning conditions are proper for it,” said Mehregan.

He says when it comes to cameras and our eyes, cameras have a longer exposure time.

“This means that they’re able to gather more photons of light as they come in,” said Mehregan. ” The human eye is recycling these things called opsins which absorb light at physiological speed. So cameras can absorb more light per time.”

So, when can the human eye properly see the Northern Lights?

Mark Voit, astronomy professor at Michigan State University says he might know the answer.

“It needs to be darker outside, or you need to have your eyes more adjusted for the cones to pick up the colors,” said Voit.

He says the more your eyes adjust to the darkness, the more likely you’ll see the lights.

Voit says if you wish to see them tonight you must prepare beforehand.

“Pay attention to the Aurora forecast. If you just type in Aurora forecast into a search engine,” said Voit. “That’ll predict about how far the latitude in Auroras will be.”

Voit recommends going to an area with less pollution and light to see the Northern Lights tonight.

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