Northern Lights Forecast: Aurora Borealis Expected To Be Seen In 7 States Tonight
The northern lights could be visible Wednesday night along seven states in the northern U.S., as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts strong solar radiation and increased geomagnetic activity that will likely continue through the end of the week.
KEY FACTS
The aurora borealis is likely to be visible in Canada, along the border, and seven U.S. states: Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, according to NOAA.
Solar radiation storms, which occur when magnetic eruptions rapidly accelerate particles from the sun’s surface toward the Earth’s north and south poles, are graded on a scale from S1 to S5. Wednesday night’s storm was graded as S3, which could potentially expose passengers and crew in high-flying aircraft to radiation.
The NOAA predicts a Kp index of 5 for Wednesday night’s geomagnetic activity, which may make the aurora borealis “quite pleasing to look at” in affected places.
WHEN ARE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS VISIBLE?
Northern lights are most visible between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time, according to the NOAA, which recommends viewers travel as far north as possible toward a high vantage point that avoids light pollution. The lights can be photographed with a smartphone, though it’s better to avoid using flash.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
The NOAA expects the aurora borealis view line to be far lower into the continental U.S. Thursday night, creating lights that will become “very bright and very active,” though the solar radiation storm will likely die down by Friday.
KEY BACKGROUND
Aurora borealis, or northern lights, appear as patches of glowing lights in the sky that appear to be a mixture of pink, blue, green, yellow and purple. The phenomenon is caused by particles from the sun that enter the Earth’s atmosphere at its magnetic poles. After colliding with the Earth’s magnetic field, the particles return to a lower energy state and release colorful lights, or aurorae. The lights are expected to become more active in 2025 because of an increased number of solar flares and geomagnetic storms, according to NASA.
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