Top line
A strong geomagnetic storm may make the aurora visible again in the continental US on Friday in states like New York, Wisconsin and Washington, making the aurora “quite bright and active” for observers.
Aurora Borealis is captured in the southern part of Norway in late February … [+]
Key facts
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association announced Friday a geomagnetic storm watch for a coronal mass ejection — an eruption of solar material — that occurred Tuesday.
NOAA has designated the geomagnetic storm as a “severe” G3 storm, meaning it has the potential to affect power grids, satellites and radio frequencies.
If the geomagnetic storm did reach Earth, the aurora could “become faintly visible along the northern tier horizon and well into the northern upper Midwestern states,” according to NOAA.
Friday’s aurora previously had a Kp index of four before NOAA bumped it up to six, meaning the lights will move further from the poles and appear “fairly bright and active” to observers under the right viewing conditions.
Canada and Alaska have a higher chance of seeing the lights, although the aurora forecast says they may not be visible in parts of the continental US until the weekend.
Solar activity has been unusually busy in recent months as the sun’s 11-year solar cycle approaches its expected peak between late 2024 and early 2026, 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 is difficult to determine exactly where the lights will be visible, NOAA offers a forecast with a potential line of sight (see below). States in view include Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and parts of New York, Vermont, and Maine.
line of sight to the aurora borealis.
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, NOAA 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 hilltop. 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.
Key background
An 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 – between late 2024 and early 2026. It is thought to peak at 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 2026, although it is difficult to predict exactly when the storms will occur.