Northern Lights in Italy today: find out where to watch them

Experience the Magic of the Northern Lights in Italy

Last night, the Northern Lights captivated the eyes of thousands of Italians, as stunning photos from cities like Rome, Turin, Trieste, and Venice demonstrate.
The skies were painted pink across the country, although not everyone was able to witness this spectacle.
Don’t worry, you will have another chance to see the Northern Lights in Italy tonight, just be patient.

This astronomical phenomenon is unpredictable and can only be roughly forecasted.
To avoid missing out, you’ll need to stay alert and, most importantly, look in the right places.
Here’s where to look to see the Northern Lights tonight, according to experts.

Where to Look to See the Northern Lights

Experts suggest that the Northern Lights will be visible starting from 10:00 PM.
So, from this evening onwards, keep your eyes on the sky to witness the luminous explosion, which might be tinged with red or pink, just like yesterday.
The phenomenon is expected to reoccur in the same regions, undoubtedly in Central and Northern Italy, and perhaps even in the South.
Indeed, yesterday the Northern Lights were seen in Calabria and Sicily, so with a bit of optimism, the show will repeat itself tonight.

The key is to look north, as recommended by Giorgio Bartolini, an expert in meteorology and climatological analysis.
You don’t need to use a compass, which can be replaced by various smartphone applications designed for this purpose.
Just remember a bit of your school geography.

The North Star, the brightest one, points directly north.
It may be challenging to observe it from some locations, but in that case, it will be equally difficult to see the Northern Lights.
To see them, you need to position yourself as far away as possible from sources of light pollution, favoring open spaces like mountains, countryside, or beaches.

There is reason for hope, as this Northern Lights display is extraordinary and somewhat unusual due to a particular combination of events, resulting in the skies being painted in shades of red or pink, instead of the typical green.

The Northern Lights, even in Italy tonight, are a fascinating phenomenon, not always easily categorizable as extraordinary.
Being at high latitudes, especially in the Arctic Circle, makes them not so rare to observe, although extremely picturesque.
Of course, for scientists and researchers, each of these events is worthy of attention and study, but in this case, there are many truly exceptional elements, even for those unfamiliar with the subject.

Starting from the fact that the Northern Lights are visible from Italy, almost across the entire country, and for two consecutive nights.
This is partly due to the intensity of the geomagnetic storm, reaching level G5, a level not seen in about twenty years, as reported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The Northern Lights themselves, at least last night, reached particularly high intensities, making them visible even at lower latitudes.

Contributing to the unusual visibility of the event, which is quite amazing especially for the South, which is disadvantaged due to its location, would be the concomitance of another astronomical event: Stable Auroral Red Arcs (SAR), which are stable red auroral arcs.
Scientifically, these very similar phenomena originate from different mechanisms, but for the observer, it’s almost impossible to distinguish one from the other.

The only observable differences for non-experts are the color (green for the Northern Lights, reddish for SAR) and the vertical striations (typical of the Northern Lights).

SARs are also observable at lower latitudes.
However, according to experts (referring to a thorough analysis published by Geopop), these nights the spectacle is generated by a combination of both phenomena, as in various regions, observers can see both reddish and pinkish tones and some green luminescences and vertical striations in the skies.

Lastly, it’s essential to note that there are often differences between photographs of the Northern Lights and what is observed with the naked eye.
Not so much due to image editing, but because cameras have a more efficient exposure time compared to the naked eye.
In any case, witnessing the spectacle live without leaving home remains a splendid experience.

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