Aurora seen in northern Schuylkill Monday night
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - The aurora borealis is observed from the Ringtown Valley Scenic View on Sept. 18, 2023.
UNION TOWNSHIP – A moderate geomagnetic storm made the aurora borealis visible in northern Schuylkill County Monday night.
Known as the northern lights, they are typically associated with places like Fairbanks, Yellowknife, and Reykjavík, but every once in awhile, they can be visible as far south as Shenandoah or even farther south.
Sentinel photographer Kaylee Lindenmuth captured the lights Monday from the Ringtown Valley Scenic View in Union Township, midway between Shenandoah and Ringtown.
The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center forecasted a moderate geomagnetic for Monday night into Tuesday morning due to a coronal mass ejection.
According to the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, a Kp number is a system of measuring aurora strength, measuring from 0 to 9, 0 being calm, 9 being a major geomagnetic storm.
A Kp number approaching 6 was observed around midnight, which according to UAF, means the aurora could potentially be visible on the horizon in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, New York, and more.
Sightings were also reported Monday in Susquehanna County, as well as Sioux Falls, North Dakota, and parts of Colorado.
While normally rare, Monday night’s sighting was the fourth in 2023 in northern Schuylkill County.
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