rochester aurora photo 06 23 15.jpg

This photo of the northern lights was shot last night near Rochester. Brad Timerson, of Newark, said he shot the photograph at ISO 3200 for eight seconds.

(Brad Timerson)

Syracuse, N.Y. -- The northern lights display could reach as far south as Upstate New York tonight and Wednesday night, but that's still uncertain.

"The predictions aren't stable enough to predict if we're going to see it tonight," said Damian Allis, director of CNY Observers.

At least one person captured the aurora on camera last night from Rochester, and social media is full of photos from the northern U.S., including Vermont. (See photos below.) Allis said it was too cloudy last night in Central New York to see the lights.

Skies should be mostly clear tonight, but the aurora is likely to be less strong than last night. The moon is a quarter full, which also adds light to the sky and makes it harder to see.

Allis recommends getting away from city lights.

"You want to go north and you want to go dark," he said. "The Adirondacks is great, and there's that big black area between Rochester and Syracuse."

Local spots include north of Oneida Lake and at the windmills in the Madison County town of Fenner, he said.

The iridescent northern lights, or aurora borealis, are caused by geomagnetic rays blasting from the sun and striking the Earth's atmosphere. The sun emitted a major burst of energy Monday, and could emit another one later this week, according to the national Space Weather Prediction Center.

The center ranked last night's display an eight on a scale of 10. Tonight would be a seven, the center said. The display looks to be even stronger early Thursday morning, according to the center.

The area shaded in green is where the northern lights could be visible from midnight to 3 a.m. Wednesday.

BEAUTIFUL aurora/northern lights photo from Wisconsin last night! pic.twitter.com/GdTXQmzU8G — Good Morning America (@GMA) June 23, 2015

Nice picture at our office of the northern lights tonight. pic.twitter.com/bHIK0jN1pF — NWS Duluth (@NWSduluth) June 23, 2015

Stunning Northern Lights photo from Leelanau County, courtesy of Ken Scott Photography http://t.co/tLinJbNfe0 pic.twitter.com/V1Rz34mJ2T — Grand Rapids Press (@GRPress) June 23, 2015



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