Will the northern lights be visible again tonight? See latest forecast

2024-10-12 09:45:03

If you missed the beautiful red, blue and purple lights that illuminated the night sky Thursday, Friday night may provide you with another chance.

The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center said that the Strong (G3) Geomagnetic Storm Watch would be visible on Friday night.

“The underlying cause for this activity is decreasing as it passes over Earth, something called the coronal mass ejection, or CME for short,” Shawn Dahl, NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center Service Coordinator, told USA TODAY. “What that is a discharge and explosion of solar material and strong magnetic fields, and in this case, this happened the evening of the 8th of October and it arrived in force yesterday morning here.”

“And it is busy throughout the day with activity and severe storm levels with the type of response it provided,” he added.

Those wishing to see the northern lights should monitor the prediction center’s website for updates and conditions.

Although the lights may not be as vibrant as Thursday night’s show, many people will still be able to see the picturesque phenomenon in parts of the country.

What states will be able to see the northern lights?

According to the Aurora forecast tracker by the University of Alaska, the northern lights may be visible low on the horizon from Seattle, Des Moines, Chicago, Cleveland, and Boston between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET.

Dahl says that the light show will be seen in many states that are in the upper half of the United States.

“Mainly, if we’re reaching the G1 levels primarily as far Northern tier states, especially in the far upper Midwest up to the North Dakota, Minnesota areas,” he said. “If we’re a little stronger than that and hitting moderate levels, it’ll extend a little further South to the Dakotas and that kind of the viewing parameter based off the normal green Aurora, “

This one can also be a photo opportunity for many onlookers.

“We can anticipate people see in the Red Aurora capture it with their cameras.”

Here are some of the states that will have a higher chance of catching a glimpse of the aurora, according to th eUniversity of Alaska:

Illinois
Iowa
Massachusetts
Ohio
Washington
Wisconsin

What are the northern lights?

The northern lights, or aurora borealis, materialize when energized particles from the sun reach Earth’s upper atmosphere at speeds of up to 45 million mph, according to Space.com. Earth’s magnetic field redirects the particles toward the poles through a process that produces a stunning display of rays, spirals and flickers that has fascinated humans for millennia.

Why do we see different colors during the northern lights?

Dahl explains that the molecules within our atmosphere play a role in what colors appear in the sky.

“A lot of times when the Aurora develops its interaction in lower levels of the atmosphere, that interact with types of molecules that send off green light,” he said. “Red has not been seen as of late ’cause that’s usually taking place much higher, almost double the altitude of where we’re seeing the green colored Aurora. That’s just because of the different states of energy and particles up there.”

Will we get a glimpse of the northern lights again?

Skygazers, you’re in luck! Dahl says its likely that the northern lights will be visible again this year and for years to come.

“It’s quite likely that the Aurora’s gonna develop again before the end of the year,” he said. “We’re not done. We’re gonna be on this roller coaster ride of solar maximum the rest of this year, all of next year and even 2026.”

This article has been update to add new information and add a video.

Contributing: Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY.

Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on the National Trending Team at USA TODAY. Ahjané covers breaking news, car recalls, crime, health, lottery and public policy stories. Email her at af*****@*****tt.com. Follow her on Instagram, Threads and X (Twitter) @forbesfineest.