If you do adventure outside, bring a jacket - or two! Monday night is shaping up to be the coldest night of the season, with temperatures dropping through the 40s after sunset, bottoming out in the 30s by daybreak. Just remember, cameras are better than human eyes at picking up the color at night, so photos you see of the aurora on social media may not match what you might see in the same spot. Here are the best places to see the Northern Lights in Washington state: Steamboat Rock State Park Steamboat Rock State Park is another protected area that’s known for its views. For the state of Washington, you need to rely on a 5 to see the aurora maybe a 4, depending on where you are in the state. Or bring a camera, set it on long exposure and keep it steady, and the lights will pop out. Seattle is actually in the Kp-index 5 zone.
If the storm really gets going, more dazzling greens and purples may be seen with just your eyes, provided they've adjusted to the darkness.
Lights may appear as a faint green or milky haze, depending on the strength of the display. Its the reason there are entire vacation packages geared toward trying to see them and why there are people who chase them. And skies look clear for much of the night in Western Washington, though high clouds may move in from the west after midnight.įor tips on spotting the lights, the best bets are to get away from city lights and find a spot with a clear view of the northern horizon. But it’s an awesome feeling to see the image once the exposure is complete.Ī huge thanks to Paulo and Kai for making it a memorable evening to watch and photograph the Northern Lights.A G2 class storm typically has brought aurora sightings as far south as Washington. Living this far south from the North Pole, we don’t see the Northern Lights with our own eyes like you can way up north in Alaska. A man watches the northern lights in Iceland, one of the. The best time to see the lights differs slightly by country, but, in general, the peak season is between November and March. Now with the naked eye I noticed a slight glow and pillars spike here and there. Clear skies are a must for viewing the lights and, of course, staying in a destination for as long as possible will help increase your chances of spying them. The storm lasted about another 20 minutes, and then she faded into the night. We hooted and hollered with joy as we photographed. Aurora Borealis was visible over Seattle early Monday morning. The two maps show the North and South poles of. Weather permitting, moderate displays will be visible overhead from Utqiavik to as far south as Talkeetna and visible low on the horizon as far south as Bethel, Soldotna and southeast Alaska. The forecast lead time is the time it takes for the solar wind to travel from the L1 observation point to Earth. This is a group for aurora borealis enthusiasts and aurora chasers in Washington State to notify one another of impending or current auroral activity. “It’s so beautiful,” Kai said as he took his shot, mesmerized. Forecast: Auroral activity will be moderate. “Oh my gosh, there it is!” I said, after taking a test shot of my own. Paulo took a test shot and yelled, “We have the Northern Lights!” I yelled back, “Really?!” Once we got cell reception, we found people reporting color in Darrington, and drove back up to Artist Point. This site is where I get all my information about Aurora storms. Paulo had a good idea to drive down lower to get cell reception to see if anyone was reporting color on the Aurora Borealis Washington State Facebook page.
(Photo by Kai Chinn)Īfter about an 1 1/2 hours of waiting, we started to get a little worried, mostly because of the clouds we were battling.
Alex’s friend and fellow photog Kai Chinn captured this view of the Lights. Make sure you are able to keep warm and bring a chair to sit in, too. There is nothing more magical than being under a blanket of billions of stars. Make sure to go prepared with water and food, as you may be waiting a while.
NORTHERN LIGHTS SEATTLE MANUAL
Gearing up for a night like this takes a few items: A camera that has manual capabilities for long exposure, a good tripod, a remote control for the camera, and a good amount of patience.
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