http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=FcfWsj9OnsI&feature=dir

I witnessed the Northern Lights back in 81/82 here in Southern Ontario. Forgot how wonderful they are.

I would have to agree. I take them for granted, which is a shame. They have been so intense that I actually heard them crackle.

You guys are so lucky. I've always wanted to see them.

It's rare even to see them in Southern Ontario these days. Last time I saw them with any intensity was a few years ago, but really you have to head farther north to see them properly.

Living in central Illinois, we occasionally get to see the aurora here, but it's pretty rare. Maybe once or twice a year when the sun is near it's solar max, and they'll be very faint. But maybe once a decade there will be a storm. During the last solar maximum, 4-5 years ago, there was a huge auroral storm that made it this far south. It was magnificent. My wife and I spent over an hour out in the middle of a soybean field watching the show. I've never seen anything like it before. One of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

This is a good web page to keep track of when the conditions are right for Aurora. Keep an eye on the 'Geomagnetic Storms'. SpaceWeather.com is another great site for all sorts of neat stuff.

I'm also signed up with Aurora Chasers. Their server sends me an email when planetary Kp conditions are high enough that the aurora may be visible where I live. I've gotten several false alarms over the years, but there have been a couple of times where it's worked. If you're serious about seeing auroras, check it out.

Like Mike, I tend to take them for granted, but on occassion, when they are very bright, I do stop and stare awhile.

Peter, I wonder if that is the same storm I'm referring to. I had never seen the lights so bright before or after this.

I think it may have been November, 2004

The best display of northern lights I saw was while working in northern Manitoba, at about the same lattitude as the bottom of Hudsons bay. I lay on the dock one night watching green and yellow sheets ripple across the sky. It was quite neat.