Chance to See Northern Lights in New York Weekend of July 19

Great news, New York! We'll enjoy clear skies this weekend... and maybe the Northern Lights.

Every time the possibility of seeing the aurora borealis rears its head, it's always accompanied by overcast skies. Despite 2024 being the greatest years for New York to see the Northern Lights, CNY has struck out every time because of downright terrible weather.

Not this weekend, however!

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The Space Weather Prediction Center is forecasting strong auroras in the Northern Hemisphere today, July 19, and tomorrow, July 20. While it's unlikely they will be as strong as the auroras we missed in early May, at least we don't have cloud cover to blame if they don't manifest in the night sky.

As of print time, the best chance for auroral activity is Saturday, based on the prediction map.

The view line cuts through New York State almost in half, but that line is speculative at best. During the auroral blitz in May, states that were below the "view line", like Georgia and Florida, were able to see them.

Currently, the University of Alaska Fairbanks is tracking moderate solar activity for tonight, and "active" activity on Saturday.

The university suggests the best time to see an aurora is "three or four hours around midnight" or between 9 p.m. in the evening and 3 a.m. in the morning. The university also warned, "The moon is also very bright and can make it more difficult to view the aurora, so lunar cycles should be taken into account."

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So, here's some bad news. The full moon, coined "the buck moon", will peak at 6:17 a.m. on Sunday, July 21. Because the moon will be bright, it could potentially spoil the aurora. Very considerate of Mother Nature to give us cloudless nights when the moon is fullest.

Here's the current nightly forecast for the weekend, per the NWS.

Tonight: Mostly clear, low 56
Saturday Night: Clear, low around 60
Sunday Night: Partly Cloudy, low 60

Should nothing happen this weekend, there will be other opportunities to catch the celestial event in the future.

Speaking of those, mark your calendars for August 28, when the Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Neptune, Saturn, and Uranus form a "parade of planets" in the night sky.

Happy stargazing!

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