The Northern Lights May Be Visible Over Kentucky This Week Due To A Solar Storm
By Andrea Limke|Published December 10, 2020
×
Andrea Limke
Author
A Cincinnati native who has lived in Kentucky for over 10 years, Andrea's heart belongs both in the Queen City and the Bluegrass State. After earning an education degree and working in that field for a number of years, Andrea began to pursue her passion for writing over 6 years ago. Since then she has written for a number of print and online publications, as well as published a children's book.
We are lucky to see many beautiful sights throughout the Bluegrass State, but one natural phenomenon we are typically not able to witness is the Northern Lights. However, this week things may be different. There’s a slight chance that you will be able to look to the sky and see the Northern Lights over Kentucky. And given the way this year has gone, it’s probably a good thing to hang on to even a little hope to be able to view one of the greatest natural wonders in our world.
When you think of the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, you probably think of places close to the Arctic Circle like northern Canada, Alaska, and Norway. It's true that the lights can often be seen in these places, but on rare occasions this stunning phenomenon creeps further south.
And this week on the nights of December 10th and 11th, the forecast is calling for a solar storm of very high Aurora activity. This means places that do not normally see an illuminated sky may have a chance!
And that even includes our southern state of Kentucky. The map below shows how anything above that green line has a chance to witness some shades of color from the Northern Lights, weather permitting of course.
If the skies are clear, there will be a much better chance of seeing them. If we can see them, they will also likely be faint, but still something miraculous to witness in person.
So grab your camera and head outside on the evenings of the 10th and 11th and see what happens! Maybe we'll get lucky and enjoy a rare viewing of the Northern Lights over Kentucky.
Have you ever seen the Northern Lights in person? Will you look for the Northern Lights over Kentucky? Let us know in the comments and if you have seen them before and have pictures, we’d love to see them!