Aurora Borealis Forecast Over Poland: When to Look Up

The news in Polish

1. zorza  (f.)
   świetliste zjawisko na niebie, widoczne głównie w pobliżu biegunów, składające się z kolorowych smug światła ↩︎
2. polarny
   dotyczący biegunów Ziemi, obszarów arktycznych lub antarktycznych ↩︎
3. okazja  (f.)
   sprzyjający moment lub okoliczność do zrobienia czegoś ↩︎
4. przeszkadzać
   utrudniać coś, być powodem trudności lub niemożności wykonania jakiejś czynności ↩︎
5. spadać
   poruszać się w dół pod wpływem grawitacji, lecieć ku ziemi ↩︎
6. Leonidy  (m.)
   coroczny rój meteorów widoczny w listopadzie, którego punkt wylatywania znajduje się w gwiazdozbiorze Lwa ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: On which night is the best opportunity to see the aurora borealis in Poland?

Question 2: Why is it necessary to travel far from the city to see the aurora?

Vocabulary

Polish	English
zorza  (f.)	aurora
polarny	polar
okazja  (f.)	opportunity
przeszkadzać	to disturb
spadać	to fall
Leonidy  (m.)	Leonids

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Observers in Poland have several opportunities this autumn to witness the northern lights, according to forecasts from the American agency NOAA.

The nearest chance comes on the night of 30 to 31 October, when the Kp index — the main measure of geomagnetic activity — is expected to reach a value of 5. At that level, the aurora borealis may become visible over Poland. The best viewing window is between 1:00 and 7:00 in the morning.

Further opportunities are forecast for the evening of Saturday 31 October, and then on 1 and 9 November. Forecasters note that these predictions carry lower certainty, so it is worth following aurora radars and alerts in real time.

Although aurora activity in November is generally somewhat lower than around the September equinox, the long nights significantly improve the chances of observation. Darkness falls early in the evening and daylight returns late, giving observers more hours in which to catch even brief bursts of activity. The current solar cycle also favours predictable, if less intense, geomagnetic storms.

In Polish conditions, the aurora typically appears low on the northern horizon. Choosing the right location is therefore essential — ideally somewhere with a wide, unobstructed view to the north, away from trees, buildings and hills. The further from urban light pollution, the better, as street lighting and the glow of cities can obscure the aurora’s delicate colours.

The darkest point of the night, just after midnight, offers the best conditions. The aurora can be seen with the naked eye, though a camera capable of long exposure settings will capture colours that may not be clearly visible to the human eye.

November also brings two meteor showers: the Taurids and the Leonids. The Southern and Northern Taurids are active throughout the month, with a peak usually between 5 and 12 November. They produce a low number of meteors per hour, but some can appear as bright, slow-moving shooting stars. The Leonid peak falls around 17–18 November and, while this is not a year of exceptional activity, the shower is still worth watching, particularly in the second half of the night.