Patch Elkridge, MD --A solar flare could create a Northern Lights display Saturday and Sunday evening over parts the mid-Atlantic, including Maryland, Accuweather reports.
Accuweather's astronomy report includes a graphic of the United States showing that the occurence of the Northern Lights, also called aurora borealis, could best be visible over parts of the mid-Atlantic, including parts of Maryland.
According to the Maryland Geological Survey (MSG), Maryland is usually too far south to view the Northern Lights, but it is occasionally visible during coronal mass ejections -- solar flares -- such as the one Accuweather reports occurred Thursday.
Night-time light pollution can also lower visibility in cities and suburbs with lights that tend to wash out the night sky, so MGS recommends finding an area with an unobstructed view of the northern sky, far away from bright lights to view the aurora. A cloudless Saturday sky over Maryland could improve viewing conditions, where as the rest of the nation is predicted to have cloudy skies impacting the view.
According to Accuweather:
Viewing conditions will be best in the mid-Atlantic, specifically for parts of Pennsylvania and the Delmarva. Most of the country will have poor to fair views as a result of cloud cover, with areas further south not experiencing the aurora at all. A pocket of fair conditions sits over southeastern Oregon and the southwest corner of Idaho. A swath of partly cloudy conditions will also spread over a section of the Ohio Valley for parts of Michigan, Indiana and Illinois. Ohio will experience fair to good viewing conditions. For the rest of the country conditions will be poor.
For more about aurora astronomy, view Accuweather's report here. Reported by Patch 18 hours ago.