Adelphi professors explain how Long Island is set for an aurora spectacle in 2025鈥攁nd how to catch this breathtaking phenomenon.
In 2024, people in the New York area were treated to views of the aurora borealis. Known as the Northern or Southern Lights, the aurora鈥攐ne of nature鈥檚 most beautiful phenomena鈥攊s usually visible only in the polar regions. This year we鈥檙e in luck again: Scientists are predicting more opportunities to get a first-class view of the aurora from our backyards, or on campus.
Sean Bentley, PhD, associate professor of physics, explained that auroras are predictable because activity is directly linked to solar activity, 鈥渨hich fluctuates on a rather regular 11-year cycle, and 2025 will continue the peak of this cycle. Then things will reduce over the coming years until the next peak.鈥�
The Science Behind the Art of the Aurora
Neda Naseri, PhD, assistant professor of physics and a plasma physicist who studies cosmic rays, explained that the aurora is caused by solar eruptions called coronal mass ejections, during which the sun ejects a significant amount of plasma. These charged particles travel across space on the solar wind. When the particles reach Earth, our planet鈥檚 magnetic field acts like a shield. Dr. Naseri explained that Earth鈥檚 magnetic field lines converge near the poles, causing solar wind particles to penetrate the upper atmosphere, and that energy is transferred into the particles colliding with atoms and molecules in Earth鈥檚 atmosphere. This is where the particles start painting the sky.
The colors of the aurora, she said, 鈥渄epend on which atmospheric particles are being hit by the solar wind. Collisions with oxygen atoms produce green and red light while collisions with nitrogen聽produce blue and purple light. Winter time is the best time to see them because of longer nights up north.鈥�
Capturing the Light
In 2024, Long Island spectators took photos and posted them online. But the photos weren鈥檛 quite accurate, said Dr. Bentley, who .
鈥淎uroras will almost certainly look more dramatic on your camera than with your eyes,鈥� he explained. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 differentiate colors well when we are in a dark environment.鈥� Our eyes contain cones that聽鈥渁llow us to see colors and also give better resolution of images,鈥� but when light levels are low, our eyes rely 鈥渁lmost exclusively on the rods, which are more sensitive to low light levels than the cones but don鈥檛 give color distinction. Cameras don鈥檛 face this issue.鈥�
Digital cameras try to adjust for low light, which can distort and exaggerate colors. 鈥淵our camera will do its best to give what it thinks is an accurate picture, but some people will intentionally alter settings or modify their images after the fact to make the images more dramatic,鈥� Dr. Bentley said.
Aurora Hunting
So how do you catch an aurora?
Scientists can predict aurora activity by tracking the聽鈥渋nteraction of solar discharge with the earth鈥檚 magnetic field in the upper atmosphere,鈥� said Dr. Bentley. Check websites such as聽the for when you can expect a showing. But best to check the weather as well, as you won鈥檛 see the aurora if there鈥檚 cloud cover.