How to See the Aurora

In a nutshell, the magnetic field that comes along for a ride in the blast of particles released from the Sun in a coronal mass ejection couples with Earth's magnetic field. This connection creates a conduit that funnels those particles — electrons and protons — at high speed into the atmosphere over the planet's polar regions. This creates the colors seen in the northern lights, or aurora. Learn more in the video above.

Check the latest predictions at the Space Weather Prediction Center's Aurora Dashboard.

If forecasts show that aurora are imminent, then the best place to view the northern lights is the most obvious one — as far as possible from city lights. If you can, drive north from your city to a location with the least amount of light pollution.

Use the interactive map at lightpollutionmap.info to explore your region for potential sites. Color-coding shows where light overkill is worst — lilac, red and yellow — and where it's suitably dark — green, blue and gray. Use your mouse (or fingers) to zoom in and out of the map and change your location. If possible, scout out your chosen spot during the daytime so you're comfortable there at night. Importantly, make sure you have an open view of the northern sky (or southern sky in the Southern Hemisphere). Fields, lake shores, and hilltops are ideal.

If, on the other hand, you are planning travel destinations around places where aurora might be visible, then your best bet will be areas that typically lie underneath the auroral oval. In the Northern Hemisphere, those places include northern Canada, Iceland, Greenland, and the Scandinavian countries.

None! Your eyes will take it all in, especially as they become increasingly dark-adapted with time spent outdoors.

However, you might appreciate some helpful items, including a chair so you can sit and rest your legs if you're out a long time. A beverage and snack will be very welcome as the clock ticks toward midnight. Warm clothing is essential because you'll be standing or sitting still, frozen in awe, much of the time.

Generally, no. Most auroras appear pale green or white with hints of pink. Our eyes see in real time, while a camera accumulates light during a time-exposure, revealing the aurora's subtle colors more vividly.

However, during powerful storms, you'll see brief bouts of intense color in the sky — purples, reds, pinks, and greens. Colors are caused by particles from the Sun spiraling down Earth's magnetic field lines and striking atoms and molecules of oxygen and nitrogen in the atmosphere. Temporarily energized by the collisions, the atoms release tiny bursts of light when they settle back to their rest states.

You can use your smartphone. Hold it up to the sky, and the phone will set itself to night mode, allowing handheld exposures of 3 seconds — long enough to easily capture a moderate- to bright aurora. Hold the phone to the sky, tap the shutter release button, and keep the two crosses that appear on your screen aligned.

If you have a DSLR or mirrorless camera, attach it to a tripod and focus on a bright star using the camera's live view feature. A wide-angle lens is best, from 15 to 35mm. Open the lens to its lowest f-stop (f/2 or 2.8 is best if you have it) to let in the maximum amount of light. Expose at ISO 1600 or 3200 for 5-20 seconds. Check the replay to see if you're on target. If not, adjust the exposure or ISO accordingly.

Check the GOES satellite images at GOES East or GOES West (for skywatchers in the far western U.S.). Click on your location on the map for an enlarged view. To see clouds at night, click on the Choose bar and select Channel 7, the third option down.

You can also go to Windy.com and click the Satellite heading for an excellent cloud map. Or just download the Windy app.

SpaceweatherLive, MyAuroraForecast, and Windy.com are all available for iOS and Android.