Northern Lights to Be Visible Across Parts of U.S.: Where to See “Very Rare” Aurora Borealis Show
The earth is giving us the green light.
The Northern Lights will likely be visible in parts of the U.S. this week due to an Oct. 8 eruption of solar material and magnetic fields that could create a geomagnetic storm, the Space Weather Prediction Center shared in an Oct. 9 alert.
So, when should you look up at the sky to see the Northern Lights? If the storm occurs, the natural display will be visible at night fall on Oct. 10, Oct. 11 and Oct. 12, with the light show having the most reach in the U.S. on Oct. 10 and 11—when it could reach as far south as Alabama and Northern California.
The eruption—also called a "coronal mass ejection"—will create the natural light display if it results in a geomagnetic storm, which is described as a "major disturbance of Earth's magnetosphere that occurs when there is a very efficient exchange of energy from the solar wind into the space environment surrounding Earth."
And while the storms may happen every so often, it's the strength of this geomagnetic storm that the center noted is "very rare." In fact, the center predicted it could be strong enough to make the aurora borealis—a colorful light display that's emitted when energized particles from the sun slam into Earth's upper atmosphere at speeds of up to 45 million mph—visible over most of the northern half of the U.S. and even into the American South.
While you wait, read on for everything to know about the rare phenomenon.
What are the Northern Lights?
The Northern Lights—also known as aurora borealis—is a natural phenomenon that occurs when energized particles from the sun's atmosphere collide with Earth's upper atmosphere at speeds of up to 45 million mph.
"These particles are deflected towards the poles of Earth by our planet's magnetic field and interact with our atmosphere," director of Dyer Observatory at Vanderbilt University Billy Teets told Space.com in July 2024, "depositing energy and causing the atmosphere to fluoresce."
As a result, bright colors dictated by the chemical composition of the Earth's atmosphere fill the night sky.
"Some of the dominant colors seen in aurorae are red, a hue produced by the nitrogen molecules," Teets continued, "and green, which is produced by oxygen molecules."
When will the Northern Lights be visible in the U.S.?
Experts predict you might be able to see the lights on Oct. 10, Oct. 11 and Oct. 12 in the U.S.
The lights are expected to be visible due to a "very rare" geomagnetic storm that could be spurred on by a recent eruption of solar material and magnetic fields, which is also known as a "coronal mass ejection."
The storm—which is a major disturbance of Earth's magnetosphere that occurs when there is a very efficient exchange of energy from the solar wind into the space environment surrounding Earth—is considered rare because of its strength, which will allow the Northern Lights to be visible in areas of the U.S. that are further south than are typical.
What time are the Northern Lights expected to be seen on Oct. 10, Oct. 11 and Oct. 12?
The Northern Lights can be seen just after sunset and before sunrise, though the display will be most vibrant when the sky is the darkest—between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time—according to the Space Weather Prediction Center. And for an even better view of the dazzling occasion, it's best to look up from a location that is away from city lights.
Where in the U.S. will the Northern Lights be visible on Oct. 10, Oct. 11 and Oct. 12?
The center predicted that the aurora borealis will be seen across northern states in the U.S., including Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, New York and Maine. However, on Oct. 10 and Oct. 11, when the geomagnetic storm is predicted to the be the strongest, the lights could be visible further south, in states such as Illinois, Nebraska, Oregon, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Alabama and Northern California.
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