Some northern states may have an opportunity to view the northern lights Monday night, according to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast, before the aurora’s projected view line recedes north into Canada later in the week.
The northern lights visible in Alaska earlier this month. (Photo by Hasan Akbas/Anadolu via Getty ... [+]
Tonight’s aurora borealis will have a Kp index of three, the level of geomagnetic activity measured on a scale from zero to nine, indicating an aurora that can be “quite pleasing to look at” from a good vantage point.
Monday night may be the last chance for some states to view the aurora for at least a few days, as the three-day NOAA forecast shows a weaker Kp index between one and two for Tuesday and Wednesday.
Though no geomagnetic storms are expected, according to the NOAA forecast, solar flare activity has caused some radio blackouts over the past 24 hours, which may continue in the coming days.
The states with the best chance of viewing the aurora include much of Alaska, as well as the northern portions of Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota. Other states that fall along the aurora’s projected view line include parts of Washington, Idaho, Wisconsin and Michigan, according to the NOAA forecast (see below).
Tonight's northern lights forecast.
The best time to catch the northern lights is when it is dark outside between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time, according to NOAA. The agency recommends avoiding light pollution, traveling as far north as possible and finding a high vantage point.
The lights can be photographed with a smartphone and can be best captured without flash, a lower shutter speed and by using night mode, if using an iPhone.
Solar activity is reaching a peak as NASA and NOAA say the sun is within its “solar maximum”—the most active part of its 11-year cycle, during which period the sun produces the most geomagnetic and solar storms. NASA says the solar maximum may continue over the next year. Solar storms observed in May were the strongest in two decades, NASA said, which produced possibly the strongest auroras observed in 500 years. Solar activity has exceeded scientists’ predictions throughout the current solar cycle, which began in December 2019.
NASA, NOAA: Sun Reaches Maximum Phase in 11-Year Solar Cycle (NASA)