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Space weather forecasters say there's another chance to see the northern lights in Colorado

People wanting to see the aurora borealis will have one more chance Sunday night.

DENVER — 9NEWS viewers sent incredible photos of the northern lights, or aurora borealis, that appeared over Canada and the northern United States Friday night.

A solar outburst reached Earth on Friday afternoon, hours sooner than anticipated, after NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center issued a G4 Severe Geomagnetic Storm Watch. That's the first time the first time an advisory of that magnitude has been issued since January 2005.

The effects of the storm were due to last through the weekend and possibly into next week.

Sunday is expected to be the last night the aurora will be visible this far south. 9NEWS Meteorologist Chris Bianchi said northeast Colorado is the place to go be to see the aurora.

Bianchi says cloud coverage should clear up by 11 p.m. or midnight.

PREVIOUS: Northern lights visible in Colorado

We want to see your photos of the aurora. Two of the easiest ways to share your perspective with 9NEWS are through text messages and the 'Near Me' feature on the 9NEWS app.

As a #9WX contributor, your photos or videos could be shared on our newscasts, website, and social media pages.

RELATED: Solar storm hits Earth, producing colorful light shows across Northern Hemisphere

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  1. Open the 9NEWS app on your smartphone
  2. On the bottom right, you'll see a button called 'Near Me'—click it
  3. A map will pop up, zoom in or out to find photos, videos, and stories from around Colorado

A black pin means it's from 9NEWS, and an orange pin means it's someone shared by the community, like you! Red pins indicate breaking news.

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Text 9NEWS at 303-871-1491 to share what you see happening in your community. You can text a photo, video or question. 

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Photographing the aurora borealis

Photographers say the aurora borealis looks much dimmer to the naked eye in Colorado than it appears in photographs.

The key is to get a camera that allows you to adjust the length of time the iris is open during the capture. The longer the exposure, the more light there will be in the capture.

You will need a tripod when doing long-exposure photography because any movement of the camera while the iris is open will be recorded in the picture. 

There has been some recent success in capturing the aurora with smartphones. Some have great low light settings or allow you to iris up a few levels manually before taking a picture.

   

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