If I had a bucket list, seeing the auroras would be on it.
Why depend on a bucket list?
Late one September I was traveling to Mont Tremblant for a racing event. Flew to Montreal and then drove over from there. Around 11-12 that night at about half way there and well out of the glow of the city lights, I saw a glow coming from what I thought was a town or city on the other side of a ridge. After driving for about a half hour, the glow did not move from its relative position but the color was changing. That is when it struck me and I stopped in almost pitch darkness and stood there in utter amazement.
Once arriving in the town, lots of people were standing outside to view the same. It was truly fantastic and once was not enough.
I saw them a couple of times when I was living on the Lakefront in Milwaukee.
I’ve seen Auroras as far south as Southern Colorado that were absolutely beautiful! I even have some pictures I took of one storm in 2004 I think. They DO show up further south, but tend to be more of a colored glow (can I say the word colored without being racists? :o ) over the sky.
One of THE most beautiful/spectacular I ever saw was around 1987 or 88 in SE Colorado mountains. These were red, moving/undulating curtains that covered 3/4 of the sky and lasted for literally HOURS! This was also the first one I ever saw. Since then, I’ve seen several.
If ever we get a good solar maxim, keep your eye on the aurora sites and learn how to read the KP indexes and which way the magnitism points (north or south). Learn what index you need for your area for Auroras, watch the sun and the Mass ejections..solar streams etc and it won’t be long before you can estimate whether or not you will be able to see one in your area...and keep an eye on the skys to the north, too.
Pretty soon you will be able to tell if the glow you see to the north is the normal glow of city lights or is a reflection of an ongoing aurora further north.
This can be a very fun study, an informal one, and soon you will score!! Sometimes they can be so bright that even city lights and moons can’t hide them! Those are rarer than hen’s teeth in mid latitudes, but auroras themselves are rare in mid America, too!
And don’t be surprised if they also make sounds. Sometimes they emit crackles like electric type sparks sounds.
Have Fun!!!
We were sailing to Maine, about fifty miles offshore, on a moonless August night, watching the Persiad meteor shower, when this pulsating band of green ribbon candy arose off our bow for about a half an hour.
I was too spellbound to go below to get my camera and wake up the rest of the crew. A great memory in my mind forever!