Weather permitting, highly active northern lights displays may be visible overhead across Minnesota tonight. Clouds will begin to increase this evening, but if you cross your fingers and have a little bit of clearing in a dark area -- you just might hit the jackpot.

It sounds like the best bet for viewing is from 10 PM to 1 AM Central Time.

The forecast for St. Cloud tonight is calling for partly cloudy skies, so the possibility of getting some fairly clear moments are a distinct possibility.

NOAA SWPC
NOAA SWPC
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According to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center:

The Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) are the result of electrons colliding with the upper reaches of Earth’s atmosphere. The electrons are energized through acceleration processes in the downwind tail of the magnetosphere and at lower altitudes along auroral field lines. In these collisions, the electrons transfer their energy to the atmosphere thus exciting the atoms and molecules to higher energy states. When they relax back down to lower energy states, they release their energy in the form of light. This is similar to how a neon light works.

If you are able to see the show in the sky tonight, please take pictures and share them with us using the 98.1 app.

Pete Hanson is on 98.1 Minnesota's New Country weekday mornings from 5:30 to 10:00.

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