Northern lights put on a show over the Adirondacks

View shots from last night

Story and photos by Mike Lynch

Northern lights showed up across the Adirondacks for the third night this week, arriving with a strong geomagnetic storm on Thursday that continued into the early morning hours Friday.

Clouds hampered viewing of the phenomena for parts of the night but photographers and enthusiasts found openings to view the bursts of lights. 

Social media was flooded with northern lights images, starting shortly after dark and continuing until just before daybreak. 

I went out to photograph the Aurora Borealis show around 8 p.m. in the northern Adirondacks but found no luck as clouds covered the sky. 

But at 3 a.m., the sky became clear and green fingers of light could be seen rising into the sky. The green light also appeared in horizontal waves that danced high into the sky. A show that was visible to the naked eye continued for the next couple of hours until clouds returned. 

Below are some images I took over a period of more than two hours as I watched in the darkness near Paul Smiths. 

There is a chance Northern Lights could return Friday night but they may only be visible north of the Adirondack Park, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The lights were also visible Sunday and Monday nights.