Solar flares can trigger a geomagnetic storm when they arrive on Earth, triggering the phenomenon known as the Northern Lights.
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When those storms are strong, they can be seen in Montana and even farther south.
“It’s one of the strongest they’ve seen in a long time. So it always has to be pointed towards the Earth. It can go in any direction around the sphere that is the sun, but if it comes in our direction and it's strong enough, we can get light shows like we did last night and are probably going to still," said KTVQ meteorologist Jason Stiff.
Thomas Damone usually uses his camera to get pictures of athletes at MSU Billings, but when he hears about the Northern Lights on the weather report, he gets excited.
“I love seeing it. I think it’s amazing. Not everyone gets to see it, especially people down south. So, when you do see it, it’s always great," said Damone.
While Damone is a professional, he says today’s smartphones have camera settings or a "pro mode" that can help you capture the nighttime phenomenon.
Damone adds that manually adjusting your shutter speed to let in more light may reveal much more of the night sky than you can see with your own eyes.
If you do choose the manual route, setting the ISO on your camera or phone between 1600 and 3200 is ideal.
“When you’re setting your shutter speed to a long period of time, it’s going to capture as much light during that time. And then as soon as that time ends, whether it's three seconds, ten seconds, whatever, it’s going to stop, and that is your picture," Damone said.
He says a steady shot is also crucial for that perfect picture.
"Posting up on a fence post, tree, your car, anything like that is going to help keep your hands steady during that time. With cameras, tripods are going to be the biggest thing," said Damone.
The pollution from city lights can also drown out the night sky, but driving a bit out of town or just turning off the lights at home can make all the difference.
"As little light as possible is very, very key. Even a porch light can impact your shot," Damone said.
Before you make any plans, it's important to account for cloud cover and even light coming from the moon.
“Say you’re shooting towards the moon, that’s all you're going to see, a bunch of moonlight. And it’s going to be as bright as the sun on those longer exposure shots," said Damone.
