When and Where To See the Northern Lights in Amarillo

It's one of those phenomena that happens once in a great while, and when we're able to see it here in Amarillo, it's absolutely majestic. The Northern Lights have been lighting up the Amarillo sky for the last couple of days, and many have been able to get a glimpse.

Also referred to as the Aurora Borealis, it's typically only seen at higher altitudes, and that tends to leave states like Texas out of the picture. However, we're seeing an extremely strong flare, and that is what is allowing us to catch a glimpse.

What Causes The Northern Lights

The cause of the lights is caused by energy particles from the sun colliding with gases that are in Earth's upper atmosphere. That's the simple explanation without getting overly scientific about it.

When those things collide, it essentially excites the gas atoms. Once they calm down from their exciting meeting, the energy they release creates the light, which is the aurora that we see.

Is There Another Chance To Catch The Lights In Amarillo

YES!! While it's not a guarantee that the lights will be visible this evening, there is still a good chance we will be able to see them. The Texas Panhandle and Eastern New Mexico have a chance to see them, most likely after 7 pm, once the sun has fully set.

They say the best way to see the lights could be through a low-light camera. You could get some pretty incredible pics as well.

Where Is The Best Place To Go To See Them

Just like with anything space-related, you want to find an extremely dark area that doesn't have a lot of man-made light around it. That light takes away from the ability to truly see what is going on in the sky as that light reflects into the sky.

I heard that there are quite a few people going out to the old helium plant here in Amarillo, as it can get quite dark out there.