Wondering what was all that fun over the Fourth of July? Friday, the last day of summer 2016, will see the first night of Aurora Borealis, aka the Northern Lights, according to the International Aurora Atlas, a not-for-profit organization that observes the phenomenon for schools, the government and the scientific community.
Like the famous Santa Fe shows, which are scheduled for June 28, July 5 and 10, the Northern Lights aren’t coming in a big way until mid-summer. They’re more likely to show up in southern states during the day, and this year some red, green and purple hues have already been seen in parts of Alaska, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, Michigan, Nebraska, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana, Kansas, Ohio, Louisiana, Montana, Minnesota, Missouri, Utah, Utah, Arizona, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Washington and, once in a while, in much of Europe and northern Russia.
For the birds, or at least the high-flying (typically red-throated) birds that seek out Aurora, clouds can interfere. Southern storms can lead to less-than-stellar viewing conditions. Time and tide are also a factor — you’ll want to go when it’s nice and dark, and a bit cloudy. Those are likely to be the days when you see the most. Plan on seeing it within the next year or so, though.