Northern Lights May Be Visible in Several States Today

People in several northern U.S. states may be able to see aurora borealis, also know as the northern lights, on Tuesday night ahead of a minor geomagnetic storm that is set to hit.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Space Weather Prediction Center has released its prediction for the aurora view line for Tuesday and Wednesday, revealing a number of people in the U.S. may get a look.

Why It Matters

The northern lights are some of the most well known natural attraction in the world with a number of tourists traveling to see them. Scientists study the lights to monitor solar activity.

While not always visible in the contiguous U.S., some Americans may be able to see the northern lights on Tuesday.

What To Know

Washington, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, as well as parts of Idaho and South Dakota, appear within the low-to-medium range of NOAA’s predicted “view line,” which represents “the southern-most locations from which you may see the aurora on the northern horizon.”

Researchers use maximum forecast geomagnetic activity between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. U.S. Central Time to come up with this prediction.

Northern Lights Forecast for Tonight and Tomorrow

The aurora is forecast to be above the U.S. from about 8:33 p.m. EST to 9:20 p.m. EST.

But the aurora does not need to be directly overhead and can be observed from as many as “1,000 km away when the aurora is bright and if conditions are right,” NOAA said.

“Aurora can often be observed somewhere on Earth from just after sunset or just before sunrise,” it added.

For your best chances of seeing the northern lights tonight, head out to a dark location far from city lights and look northward. Let your eyes fully adjust to the darkness for about 20 minutes.

How Are the Northern Lights Made

Auroras occur when charged solar particles interact with Earth’s magnetic field, traveling down its lines toward the poles. Upon entering the atmosphere, these particles collide with gases such as oxygen and nitrogen, releasing energy as vibrant colors of light.

The predominant green hues often seen in auroras are characteristic of oxygen, while nitrogen can produce purples, blues and pinks.

Rare scarlet-red auroras occur during particularly energetic events.

These auroras are produced by geomagnetic storms (a disturbance in the planet’s magnetosphere caused by solar wind and charged particles ejected from the sun), which are created by the interaction of coronal mass ejections (CME) and the Earth’s magnetic field.

Best States to See Northern Lights Outside Alaska

Although Alaska is famous for the show of the Northern lights that it often puts on, there are other spots in the contiguous U.S. that can offer a good view.

These include parts of Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Idaho and Maine, according to travel magazine AFAR’s recommendations for “astrotourists.”