Northern Lights May Be Visible Over the Capital Region Again

Get Ready for Northern Lights, Round Two

If you missed your chance to post 27 (blurry) photos of the Northern Lights last time, redemption has arrived!

Yes, the aurora borealis is likely to make another appearance over Upstate New York tonight (November 12, 2025) thanks to a strong geomagnetic storm.

Translation: the sun burped again, and now we get a free light show.

Northern Lights over Upstate, NY. Photo: Suzette Sala Facebook

The Best Time to Look

The best time to look will be between 10 PM and 2 AM, with the strongest glow expected in the early morning hours, between 3 AM and 5 AM.

The view should be best north of Albany, so spots like Saratoga, Glens Falls, the Adirondacks, or anywhere you can actually see stars and not the glow of a Chick-fil-A sign or a Stewart's.

The view of Tuesday night's Northern Lights display over Mechanicville, NY. Photo: Suzette Sala Facebook

Increase Your Chances

Find a dark spot: Get as far away from city lights as possible.
Look north: That’s where the magic happens.
Be patient: The lights come and go — it’s not a TikTok show, it’s nature.
Bring a camera: Your phone might see colors before your eyes do.

After last night's dazzling display, it seemed like the entire Capital Region had turned into a screensaver!

And hey, we’re not saying don’t post photos... maybe limit it to under 100 this time.

New York Towns That Share the Same Name

Is New York State so big that there is room for 2 towns with the same name? Yes! Did the settlers of the Empire State forget they already named one town Rochester before naming the second one...Rochester? Whatever the reasons are, here are a few New York towns that share the same name.

Gallery Credit: Karolyi