Top line
After a powerful solar flare on Monday and geomagnetic storm activity over the weekend, Tuesday night may be the last time the US sees an aurora this week, although it won’t be as intense as May’s dazzling aurora borealis.
The aurora borealis, commonly known as the aurora borealis, can be seen in the sky above Kiruna on … [+]
Key facts
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warned of moderate solar activity on Tuesday, meaning there may be a chance to see the aurora borealis again on Tuesday night.
Tuesday night’s geomagnetic storm is expected to have a Kp index of three, meaning the lights will move farther from the poles and appear brighter to observers, according to NOAA, but since Wednesday night’s predicted Kp index is only one, it may to be the last night to view the Northern Lights this week.
This comes after a G2 geomagnetic storm warning was issued on Friday, causing auroras to be visible in parts of the US over the weekend due to the storm’s moderate disturbances in the Earth’s magnetic field.
Solar activity has been unusually busy in recent months as the sun’s 11-year solar cycle nears its expected peak in July 2025, with sunspots expected to intensify over the next year and likely trigger more geomagnetic storms.
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Where will the Northern Lights be seen tonight?
Although it’s notoriously difficult to predict where the aurora will be visible, according to NOAA, they may be most visible Tuesday night in Canada and Alaska. However, other US states in the line of sight of the aurora include the northernmost parts of Washington and Idaho, much of Montana and North Dakota, and northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
A view of the aurora borealis on Tuesday night.
What is the best way to see the Northern Lights?
The lights are most active between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. For the best view of the aurora borealis, the agency recommends traveling as close to the poles as possible, avoiding city lights and other light pollution, monitoring weather forecasts for the best viewing conditions, and finding a vantage point such as a summit Hills. Smartphone cameras are sensitive enough capture the aurora borealis, even though it is invisible to the naked eye. Visit Iceland, a tourism website for Iceland, where the lights are often visible, advises turning on night mode to increase your smartphone camera’s exposure.
A surprising fact
The powerful S3 solar storm that occurred Saturday was the strongest of its kind since September 2017, according to NOAA. The storm peaked after a “significant” solar flare, an intense burst of radiation caused by the release of magnetic energy from sunspots. Storms of this size can disrupt space satellites and solar launches, as well as disrupt shortwave radio signals. The solar flare came from a region of the sun called AR3667 (previously known in May as AR3664) – the same sunspot that caused May’s intense aurora. AR3667 fired off an even stronger flare on Monday, which may also contribute to another aurora sighting. However, as this region of the sun is expected to rotate out of view over the next few days, solar activity is expected to drop to about moderate and minor levels.
Key background
The event, called Solar Cycle 25 — a cycle the Sun goes through every 11 years — was the cause of the geomagnetic storms that led to the recent aurora sightings, and NASA predicts they will continue into next year. Cycle 25 began in December 2019 and is estimated to reach its maximum – when activity is expected to peak – in July 2025. It is predicted to peak with 115 sunspots, which are where geomagnetic storms form. Although the maximum has not yet occurred, solar activity has been busier than scientists expected, so it is possible that there will be even more geomagnetic storms by 2025, although it is difficult to predict exactly when these storms will occur.