A solar storm set to hit the US this week could offer stargazers in 17 states a rare opportunity to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights.
Also known as the Aurora Borealis, the lights are most commonly seen in Alaska, Canada, and parts of Scandinavia.
However, an 11-year solar cycle expected to peak next year is making the lights visible in places closer to the equator — including a large handful of U.S. states on Thursday.
The lights become visible and brighten the sky as solar winds hit the atmosphere.
A few months ago, the lights were visible in Arizona, marking the third solar storm since the current solar cycle began in 2019.
The lights are expected to be visible in 17 U.S. states on Thursday
The Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks has predicted aurora activity to be observed in Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York and New York on Thursday could be Hampshire, Vermont, Indiana, Maine and Maryland.
According to the institute, there will also be aurora activity in Vancouver.
Researchers say the lights are expected to be visible across the sky in Milwaukee, Minneapolis and Helena, Montana, and low on the horizon in Salem, Oregon; Boise, Idaho; Cheyenne, Wyoming; Annapolis, Maryland; and Indianapolis.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center said people who want to see the lights should leave cities that are polluted by light.
“The collisions create light, similar to how electrons stream through gas in a neon light, colliding with neon and other gases to create different-colored bulbs,” NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center said.
The ideal time to see the lights is between 10pm and 2am local time.
Kp, a geomagnetic index that ranks auroral activity from zero to nine — with zero being not very active and nine being very bright and active — forecast Thursday’s storm will be a magnitude six.
In April, the lights could be seen in 30 US states
The Northern Lights appear over Big Creek State Park outside of Polk City in central Iowa on Sunday, April 23, 2023
In April, Northern Lights were sighted 40 minutes north of the sister cities of Harris, Minnesota
The neon green lights are the result of space electrons colliding with atoms from Earth’s upper atmosphere
Auroras tend to occur every 27 days – the last one occurred in late April and was visible in more than half of US states
The Northern Lights create neon green ripples across the dark night sky as electrons from outer space collide with atoms and molecules from the upper parts of Earth’s atmosphere.
The lights are usually more visible closer to the equinox — the longest sunny days of the year. Northern lights usually occur every 27 days.
Back in April, a geomagnetic storm produced lights visible in 30 states as far south as Kansas.
Thursday’s storm will mark at least the third time this year that Aurora Borealis will be visible across much of North America.
Americans in Minnesota, Montana, and many northern states had particularly bright views of the stunning lights.