Northern Lights Over the Bitterroot Valley

The Sun is in an "active" phase right now, and as a result, the Aurora Borealis will visit the night skies in the Bitterroot Valley.

Friday Night, November 14, the colors were spectacular, but fleeting. Only a few hours after sunset, Mike Daniels caught this display. When he took this photo, the Northern Lights only lasted a few minutes, but it was cold outside, anyway. His viewing site was east of Hamilton and he was looking toward Missoula.

At the Sun, a large sunspot grouping could send some "sun stuff" our way in the next week, so keep looking up and we'll alert you to any future good opportunities.

Also, we are now at the peak of the Leonids meteor shower. The best time to view those shooting stars will be between midnight and dawn Monday night to Tuesday morning, November 18. However, this is not expected to be a large storm - only 10 to 15 meteors per hour, at best.