For the second time this week, the Northern Lights are expected to be visible to the continental U.S., with Wednesday night’s aurora projected to be even stronger and more vibrant. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) has announced a high likelihood of the lights being visible with a KP index of four, causing them to move further from the poles and appear brighter to observers. This prediction comes after a coronal mass ejection from the Sun on June 29 triggered a geomagnetic storm watch for Wednesday.
NOAA had previously predicted a KP index of three for the Northern Lights on Tuesday in states like Washington, Michigan, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. This increase in solar activity is due to the approaching peak of the sun’s 11-year solar cycle between late 2024 and early 2026, leading to more frequent geomagnetic storms and the possibility of more intense Northern Lights displays over the next year. This heightened activity has already resulted in recent sightings of the aurora and is expected to continue into next year.
While it is difficult to predict where the Northern Lights will be visible, they are expected to be most visible in Canada and Alaska tonight. However, U.S. states within the aurora’s view line include Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Maine, and the northernmost part of New York. The best way to see the Northern Lights is to travel as close to the poles as possible, avoid city lights and other light pollution, monitor weather forecasts for prime viewing conditions, and find a position on a vantage point like a hilltop.
For those looking to photograph the Northern Lights, smartphone cameras are sensitive enough to capture the aurora, even when it’s not visible to the naked eye. Visitors to Iceland, where the lights are often visible, are advised to turn on night mode to increase smartphone camera exposure for the best results. Solar Cycle 25, which began in December 2019, has been responsible for the recent increase in geomagnetic storms and sightings of the Northern Lights, with NASA predicting it will continue into next year and possibly result in even more active storms leading up to 2025.
NASA and NOAA have recently launched a new satellite into space, the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite U mission (GOES-U), to enhance space weather prediction and monitoring of the Northern Lights. The satellite, the fourth and final in the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites R Series, will enable NOAA to issue geomagnetic storm watches one to four days in advance and track various weather events such as lightning and fog. This new technology will provide valuable data for scientists studying geomagnetic storms and the impact of solar activity on Earth’s atmosphere.
