Did you miss the breathtaking northern lights in Birmingham back in November? Tonight may be your best chance to see them again — although, you’ll probably need a camera.

A severe geomagnetic storm watch was issued by the National Weather Service (NWS), which means northern Alabama might be able to catch auroras in the night sky late on Monday, Jan. 19 and early morning on Tuesday, Jan. 20.

Why do the northern lights happen?

On Sunday, Jan. 18, the sun released an eruption that sent a cloud of coronal mass ejection particles toward Earth. The storm is expected to reach a level 4 out of 5 on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) space weather scale.

According to AccuWeather, the solar flare also sparked the strongest severe radiation storm since October 2003.

The storms could have some impact for astronauts on the International Space Station, people on flights near the North or South Poles, and specific NWS and NOAA equipment, but not the general public.

How do I see the northern lights?

581752044 10164083911059341 7992910619789118014 n Birmingham may see the northern lights Monday night: What to know — Northern Lights from Homewood with Vulcan in the distance. (Joseph Wu)

Alabama is on the very southern-most point of where the auroras are expected to appear tonight, so if folks in Birmingham catch them, it will probably not be the bright light show we’ve seen in movies or photos.

The good news is that many camera phones have settings that can bring the skies to life on the screen. Check out this tutorial for how to capture the northern lights on different smartphones.

How will I know if the northern lights are there?

a purple sky with trees — Northern lights near Ruffner Mountain. (Viktoria Havasi)

If you can’t see them with the naked eye, it may be difficult to know if the auroras are actually making an appearance. The NWS has a website called the Space Weather Prediction Center with detailed updates about space phenomenons that could be visible to the general public.

The site has a short-term, 30-to-90-minute forecast of auroras, which shows the current geomagnetic storm conditions. If you are hoping to see the lights tonight, keep an eye on the NWS website for the latest updates.

Note that auroras do not need to be directly overhead to be seen. The NWS says that the northern lights can be observed from as much as 1,000 kilometers (621.4 miles) away, so don’t fret if the forecast isn’t directly over Birmingham.

Got cool photos? Send them to Bham Now!

581945951 10163869465919236 184281573447947146 n e1762948888426 Birmingham may see the northern lights Monday night: What to know — Northern Lights shot in Springville. (Joe Songer)

If you plan on being sound asleep or have no desire to brave the frigid temperatures tonight, rest assured that Bham Now will share photos of the auroras if they are visible from the Magic City.

If you are able to capture the northern lights tonight, send them to us on our Facebook or Instagram pages or email us at hello@bhamnow.com. We may share them in an article!

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