A solar storm forecast for Thursday is expected to give skygazers in 17 American states a chance to glimpse the Northern Lights, the colorful sky show that happens when solar wind hits the atmosphere.
Northern Lights, also known as aurora borealis, are most often seen in Alaska, Canada and Scandinavia, but an 11-year solar cycle that's expected to peak in 2024 is making the lights visible in places farther to the south. Three months ago, the light displays were visible in Arizona, marking the third severe geomagnetic storm since the current solar cycle began in 2019.
The Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks has forecast auroral activity on Thursday in Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Indiana, Maine and Maryland.
Auroral activity also has been forecast for Canada, including Vancouver.
FILE - An aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, is seen in the night sky in the early morning hours of Monday, April 24, 2023, near Washtucna, Wash. A solar storm forecast for Thursday, July 13, is expected to give skygazers in more than a dozen American states a chance to glimpse the Northern Lights. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
Light displays are expected to be visible overhead in Milwaukee, Minneapolis and Helena, Montana, and low on the horizon in Salem, Oregon.; Boise, Idaho; Cheyenne, Wyoming; Annapolis, Maryland; and Indianapolis, according to the institute.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center said people wanting to experience an aurora should get away from city lights and that the best viewing times are between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time.
Northern Lights occur when a magnetic solar wind slams into the Earth's magnetic field and causes atoms in the upper atmosphere to glow. The lights appear suddenly and the intensity varies.
A geomagnetic index known as Kp ranks auroral activity on a scale from zero to nine, with zero being not very active and nine being bright and active. The Geophysical Institute has forecast Kp 6 for Thursday's storm.
Photos: Northern lights visible in Missouri and Illinois
Sisters Rose Martin, left, and Elana Martin, from St. Charles County, sit on the roof of their SUV to take in the sight of the northern lights glowing in the sky outside of Elsberry, Missouri, on Sunday, April 23, 2023. It is rare to see aurora borealis this far south. Photo by David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com
Sisters Rose Martin, left, and Elana Martin, from St. Charles County, sit on the roof of their SUV to take in the sight of the northern lights glowing in the sky outside of Elsberry, Missouri, on Sunday, April 23, 2023. The streaking line in the upper right part of the image is a plane flying through the night sky. Photo by David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com
Sisters Rose Martin, left, and Elana Martin, from St. Charles County, sit on the roof of their SUV to take in the sight of the northern lights glowing in the sky outside of Elsberry, Missouri, on Sunday, April 23, 2023. The streaking line above the powerlines is a plane flying through the night sky. Photo by David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com
Sisters Rose Martin, left, and Elana Martin, from St. Charles County, sit on the roof of their SUV to take in the sight of the northern lights glowing in the sky outside of Elsberry, Missouri, on Sunday, April 23, 2023. The setting moon can be seen to the left of the image. It is rare to see aurora borealis this far south. Photo by David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com
The northern lights glow in the sky above the Mississippi River as seen from a boat ramp off State Highway P near Elsberry on Monday, April 24, 2023. The lights across the river are from Hamburg, Illinois. Photo by David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com
The northern lights glow in the sky above the Mississippi River as seen from a boat ramp off State Highway P near Elsberry on Monday, April 24, 2023. A shooting star can be seen just above the tree line on the left side of the image. Photo by David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com
The northern lights glow in the sky above the Mississippi River as seen from a boat ramp off State Highway P near Elsberry on Monday, April 24, 2023. The lights across the river are from Hamburg, Illinois. The streaking line in the upper part of the image is a plane flying through the night sky. Photo by David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com
The northern lights glow on the horizon above a field off U.S. Highway 54 outside Rockport, Illinois, on Monday, April 24, 2023. A shooting star can be seen to the bottom left side of the image. Photo by David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com
The northern lights glow on the horizon above a field as streaking lights from a truck driving along U.S. Highway 54 can be seen outside Rockport, Illinois, on Monday, April 24, 2023. A shooting star can be seen to the bottom left side of the image. It is rare to see aurora borealis this far south. Photo by David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com
The northern lights pulse and dance above Hamburg, Illinois on Monday, April 24, 2023. The video is made up of 27 still photos taken between 12:26 and 12:33 am. A solar flare eruption on the sun sent waves of charged particles streaming towards Earth's atmosphere, producing the colorful lights. It is rare to see aurora borealis this far south. Video by David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com
