PORTLAND, Maine – The U.S. forecast for Northern Lights has fallen prematurely. Stargazers in 48 states on the continent have zero chance of seeing this week’s astronomical event, the acting head of the U.S. government’s Space Weather Forecast Center said Thursday. Colored curtains draw the night sky when the northern lights or aurora borealis are visible. Some early reports suggested that they could be found especially in New England and this week as far south as Illinois. Robert Rutledge, head of operations at the Space Weather Forecast Center, said he had high hopes for Thursday and Friday, but that it had lowered its forecast as opportunities turned out to be a “big miss.” He called the disappointing news “not unbelievably unusual in space weather forecasting.” The silver lining for astronomers is that conditions look very favorable in the coming months and years. , Rutledge said. David Clark, a member of the Penopcott Valley Star Gazers in Maine, said he hoped the New England Stargazers would see the northern lights, but the clouds would have been harder. “I hope people are going to try,” he said. I don’t have much faith. ”
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