Watch as Indiana night sky dazzles with beautiful aurora
Indiana residents were lucky to watch beautiful northern lights in several cities across the state.
If you missed out on last night’s dazzling northern lights display around the U.S., you could have another chance to catch a glimpse of the aurora in Indiana when the sun goes down on Nov. 12.
A geomagnetic storm is expected to reach earth around mid-day on Nov. 12, causing a high chance for a strong aurora in parts of the northern contiguous U.S., according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center.
It comes after Americans as far south as Texas and Florida reported seeing the northern lights because of strong solar activity on Nov. 11.
Northern lights might be visible from Indianapolis, per aurora forecast
Indianapolis has been listed among several U.S. cities where the northern lights could be visible low on the horizon, according to one space weather forecast.
“High aurora activity” is predicted Wednesday night, according to the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, Geophysical Institute, which tracks the phenomenon. Beginning 10 p.m. EST, Wednesday, Nov. 12, until 1 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 13, “highly active auroral displays” will be seen in cities that include:
Helena, Montana;Minneapolis, Minnesota;Bay City , Michigan;Montpelier, Vermont.
A map of aurora activity in the northern hemisphere provided by the institute shows the viewing line for auroras on Nov. 12 stretching down into southern Indiana. The northern lights “may be visible low on the horizon from Salem, Boise, Cheyenne, Lincoln (and) Indianapolis.”
For many of those in the view line, it’s only natural to want to capture a photo of the stunning phenomenon. Thanks to smartphone technology, there’s no need to be a professional photographer or have premium equipment when snapping a picture of the aurora.
How to take photos of the northern lights with your phone
In 2024, Brent Gordon, chief of space weather services branch for NOAA, told reporters that using a smartphone could be the best way to view the northern lights — even better than the human eye.
According to the aurora tracking app hello aurora, here are some tips for getting photos of the northern lights on smartphone:
1. Use a tripod or standKeeping your phone steady will ensure photos are sharp and crisp, not blurry.2. Enable night mode on your phoneThis feature typically turns on automatically in newer iPhones. Other types of smartphones may have different camera modes to switch between.Check by navigating to your phone’s camera settings.3. Want more control? Manually change your phone camera settingsFor more control, switch to Manual or Pro Mode, which are available on many Android devices and newer iPhones.Start at ISO 800-1600 and increase it if the aurora is faint. Be aware that higher ISO can cause more noise or graininess in the photo.Set shutter speed between 5 to 15 seconds. This allows enough time to capture the moving lights but not too long to appear blurry.Manually focus by tapping on an area with a lot of light.4. Turn flash offUsing your phone’s flash will overpower the natural light of the aurora.5. Use a timer or remote shutter (if you have one)This helps to keep your phone still.Tips for how to watch the northern lights and see auroras
Experts say the best auroras are usually within an hour or two of midnight (between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time). These hours expand towards evening and morning as the level of geomagnetic activity increases.
There may be aurora in the evening and morning, but it is usually not as active and therefore, not as visually appealing, according to NOAA.
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY.
John Tufts covers trending news for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com. Find him on BlueSky at JohnWritesStuff.