These US states can see the Aurora this week

Where will the northern lights be visible tonight? The Northern Lights can be seen this week – specifically Thursday, November 28 and Friday, November 29 – in the continental United States, after space weather forecasters predicted favorable geomagnetic storm conditions.

On Tuesday, Nov. 26, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center released an updated Northern Lights forecast for this week. It is said that the Northern Lights can be seen as low as New York to Wisconsin to Washington State.

Why northern lights are expected

After a quiet moment on the sun over the past few weeks in the wake of an impressive outburst in mid-October, the renewed opportunity for aurora displays at relatively southern latitudes comes after solar flares and coronal mass ejections supercharged the solar wind. On Monday, November 25, an M9.4-class solar flare—very close to a powerful X-class—was discovered on the Sun. It was followed by a coronal mass ejection, an expulsion of plasma and magnetic field from the sun’s hotter outer atmosphere, its corona.

Also, the sunspot it emerged from is facing Earth, making more solar flares this week likely.

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Where can you see the Northern Lights?

A G1 geomagnetic storm is forecast for Thursday, November 28 and a G2 geomagnetic storm for Friday, November 29. G2 storms are generally seen as far south as New York and Idaho. However, it is difficult for space weather starved to predict exactly what would happen. If a G3 geomagnetic storm materializes, auroras can be seen as far south as Illinois and Oregon. Wednesday 27 November will likely see levels of geomagnetic activity below G1.

Skywatchers are advised to check NOAA’s aurora line of sightwhich is available tonight and tomorrow night, and its 30 minute weather forecastwhere the latest forecasts are posted. Those in the UK should check out Lancaster University’s AuroraWatch website.

Best way to see the Northern Lights

If a display is predicted for the United States, it is imperative to avoid light pollution. Suggested locations are an International Dark Sky Place (USA/Worldwide), a Dark-Sky Preserve (Canada), or a Starlight Reserve (Spain). Another way is to consult one light pollution short; anywhere with a dark northern horizon is a good potential location.

However, the best and most reliable way to see the Northern Lights is to travel north, in the Northern Hemisphere, between September and March (when there is sufficient darkness). This means Alaska, northern Canada and northern Scandinavia (Norway, Finland, Sweden and Iceland).

A G1 (Minor) watch has been issued on November 28, and a G2 (Moderate) watch was issued on November 29, 2024.

What causes the northern lights?

The solar wind causes the northern lights. It is a stream of charged particles from the Sun that interact with the Earth’s magnetic field.

When charged particles hit Earth’s magnetic field, they accelerate down its magnetic field lines at the north and south poles to create ovals of green and red.

Auroras are typically seen in polar regions around latitudes of 70 degrees north and south, but under extreme geomagnetic conditions—usually when CMEs arrive at Earth one after the other or in tandem—the aurora can bulge oval, with shields as far as 40 degrees north and south.

Why solar activity is so high

Solar activity is currently at a 23-year high, with the May 10 extreme G5 geomagnetic storm the most severe in two decades and possibly hundreds of years.

The sun is now in its “solar maximum” period, according to NASA and NOAA, which means a more intense solar wind and a greater chance of more southern auroras for at least the next year.

The Sun has an 11-year cycle in which its magnetic activity waxes and wanes. Its level is calculated daily by counting sunspots. Sunspots are magnetic disturbances on the Sun’s surface that can be as large as the Earth. The number of sunspots in a day indicates how magnetically active the sun is.

I wish you clear skies and big eyes.