Updated Northern Lights Forecast: Here’s Where You Could See Aurora Borealis Tonight
Topline
The Northern Lights may be visible for the second time this week in the continental U.S., causing a “pleasing” view for observers Friday night.
Northern lights or aurora borealis illuminate the night sky in Austria.
Key Facts
There’s another chance the Northern Lights may visible again this week, as Friday’s aurora has a Kp index of four, which means the lights will move further from the poles and appear brighter to observers, causing them to be “pleasing to look at” under the correct viewing conditions, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.
This comes after NOAA issued a G2 geomagnetic storm watch for Wednesday following a coronal mass ejection of solar material that occurred over the weekend.
The lights will be brightest in Canada and Alaska, but they may be visible in many northern and midwestern continental states from Maine to Washington.
Solar activity has been unusually busy in recent months as the sun’s 11-year solar cycle approaches its anticipated peak between late 2024 and early 2026, with sunspots expected to intensify over the next year, and likely triggering more geomagnetic storms.
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Where Will The Northern Lights Be Visible Tonight?
While it’s hard to pinpoint where exactly the lights will be visible, NOAA offers a forecast with a potential viewline (see below). U.S. states within the aurora’s view line include Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Maine and the uppermost part of New York.
Friday night’s aurora view line.
What’s The Best Way To See The Northern Lights?
The lights are usually most active between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. EDT For the best views of the Northern Lights, the agency advises traveling as close to the poles as possible, avoiding city lights and other light pollution, monitoring weather forecasts for prime viewing conditions and finding a position on a vantage point like a hilltop.
What’s The Best Way To Photograph The Northern Lights?
Smartphone cameras are sensitive enough to pick up the aurora, even when it’s invisible to the naked eye. Visit Iceland, a tourist website for Iceland, where the lights are often visible, advises turning on night mode to best increase smartphone camera exposure.
Key Background
Solar Cycle 25—the cycle the sun goes through around every 11 years—has been the cause of geomagnetic storms that have resulted in recent sightings of the Northern Lights, and NASA predicts it will continue on into 2026. Cycle 25 began in Dec. 2019, and it’s estimated it will reach its maximum—when activity is expected to peak— between late 2024 and early 2026. It’s projected to peak with 115 sunspots, which are where geomagnetic storms originate. Although the maximum hasn’t happened yet, the sun’s activity has been busier than scientists anticipated, so it’s possible there will be even more geomagnetic storms leading up to 2025, though it’s difficult to predict exactly when these storms will occur.
Surprising Fact
The dazzling lights that appeared in May were the result of very active sunspots NOAA has dubbed NOAA Active Region 13664. These sunspots led to an incredibly strong G5 geomagnetic storm, which is the highest label storms can be given. Researchers aren’t sure why May’s storm was so severe, but they think it may be due to the quick succession of multiple coronal mass ejections leading to what they call “Cannibal CMEs.” As a result, May’s lights were the strongest since the Halloween solar storms of 2003.
