Aurora borealis in Iowa??

Question

i heard a few years ago they where visable in saylervill lake some miles north of des moines where i would live ive seen pics and dose any one know what the connditions have to be to see theme i would kill to get the chance to see them so can any one give me a tip like what time of day, year, nessisary temp, ect.

Answer 1

They are occasionally visible here, but it's pretty rare.

The aurora is a common occurrence in the Poles. It is occasionally seen in temperate latitudes, when a strong magnetic storm temporarily expands the auroral oval. Large magnetic storms are most common during the peak of the eleven-year sunspot cycle or during the three years after that peak. Geomagnetic storms that ignite auroras actually happen more often during the months around the equinoxes.

Answer 2

I've seen it a few times in Iowa.  I don't know if there are any specific conditions....I've seen it in both summer and winter but it only happens a few times a year.

Answer 3

I reckon they can only be seen in some countries in North Europe.

Made a research:The best places are high northern latitudes during the winter, Alaska, Canada, and Skandinavia

To see aurora you need clear and dark sky. During very large auroral events, the aurora may be seen throughout the US and Europe, but these events are rare. During an extreme event in 1958, aurora was reported to be seen from Mexico City. During average activity levels, auroral displays will be overhead at high northern or southern latitudes. Places like Fairbanks, Alaska, Dawson City, Yukon, Yellowknife, NWT, Gillam, Manitoba, the southern tip of Greenland, Reykjavik, Iceland, Tromso, Norway, and the northern coast of Siberia have a good chance to have the aurora overhead. In North Dakota, Michigan, Quebec, and central Scandinavia, you might be able to see aurora on the northern horizon when activity picks up a little. On the southern hemisphere the aurora has to be fairly active before it can be seen from places other than Antarctica. Hobart, Tasmania, and the southern tip of New Zealand have about the same chance of seeing aurora as Vancouver, BC, South Dakota, Michigan, Scotland, or St Petersburg. Fairly strong auroral activity is required for that. The best time to watch for aurora is around midnight, but aurora occurs throughout the night. There are very few places on Earth where one can see aurora during the day. Svalbard (Spitzbergen) is ideally located for this. For a 10 week period around winter solstice it is dark enough during the day to see aurora, and the latitude is such that near local noon the auroral oval is usually overhead