Northern lights may be visible over NYC region on Sunday night

If you’ve ever wanted to see the Northern Lights from New York City, Sunday night may be your best chance.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Prediction Center issued a geomagnetic storm watch through Sunday after a series of solar materials collided with Earth's atmosphere starting on Friday afternoon.

NOAA said it’s the first severe geomagnetic storm detected since 2005, and reported that the aurora borealis could make rare appearances in the night skies over much of the northern United States, and even as far south as Alabama.

But Katherine Troche, the vice president of operations at the Amateur Astronomers Association, said predicting where the lights will be visible from New York City is tricky.

“The light pollution in New York City is just so severe. It’s just not usually feasible for us,” she said. “If you were somewhere like Great Kills Park on Staten Island or Inwood Park after dark, that’s where you might catch a glimpse.”

Still, Troche cautioned against getting your hopes up. It may not be like anything you’d see on National Geographic.

When these geomagnetic storms take place on the sun, they release particles that sometimes reach Earth and interact with its magnetic field. The particles are then drawn to the North and South Poles, resulting in auroras.

Geophysicists use certain indexes to determine the magnitude of geomagnetic storms – and how visible auroras will be. Anything listed as a KP-7 storm or greater means there is a significant chance the aurora will be visible. Friday night’s geomagnetic storm was a KP-9. Troche said it was so powerful, there was even a rare sighting in Forest Hills, Queens.

“It was easy pickings for anyone to see the light if they were away from light pollution, even as far south as Florida,” she said.

Weather is also a major factor. If it’s too cloudy, it’ll be hard to see the aurora borealis even if you get away from light pollution. The National Weather Service predicts clear skies for Sunday, making aurora sightings in the city a real possibility.

Still, just traveling just two hours north of the city will greatly increase your chances. Plus, viewing the auroras also doesn’t require any special equipment, unlike last month’s solar eclipse.

Troche said anyone in the New York City area who catches a glimpse of the aurora should report it to Aurorasaurus, a citizen science project that measures auroral activity and helps track the aurora's reach.