Maine Residents May Get an Incredible Look at The Northern Lights

Over the last several months, many Mainers have gotten some incredible views of the Northern Lights. Most recently, in Central Maine, there was a wonderful evening burst of color in the sky ranging from shades of green to deep reds and purples.

It now looks like many of us here in the Pine Tree State may get another spectacular viewing of the lights on Monday night (September 30), as long as the conditions play nice.

According to WGME 13, the Northern Lights made a surprise appearance over Maine on Sunday night and now forecasters say the same thing is likely to happen on Monday night.

And since temperatures are predicted to be fairly mild, this should be a great evening to venture outside and try to get a glimpse, a photo or both!

Admittedly, even though I'm kind of a space geek, I didn't know a whole lot about the science behind these amazing "lights," so I did some reading this morning. Lots and lots of reading.

According to Space.com, the Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, are caused by the interaction between charged particles from the sun and Earth's magnetic field.

The website says the sun continuously emits a stream of charged particles, primarily electrons and protons, known as the solar wind. The website also says that occasionally, solar storms or coronal mass ejections increase the intensity of these particles

When these particles reach Earth, they are drawn toward the poles by Earth’s magnetic field, which funnels the particles toward the polar regions, where they collide with gas molecules in the atmosphere, according to space.com.

And, as always, if you do capture any incredibly photos of the light show, make sure you submit them to us through our free station app!