The northern lights may be visible across the northern United States Tuesday night as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration projects a stronger-than-usual forecast, which is thanks to a minor geomagnetic storm the agency says will take place late Tuesday.
A geomagnetic storm may prompt strong northern lights on Tuesday night. (Photo by Hazal ... [+]
Tuesday night’s northern lights will have a Kp index of 5, which is measured on a scale from zero to nine, indicating the lights have moved further from the poles and may be “quite pleasing to look at.”
NOAA forecasts the northern lights might be visible in about 15 states following a minor geomagnetic storm, which it says is expected as a result of a coronal mass ejection, a large expulsion of plasma from the sun, that took place over the weekend.
NOAA says there is also a chance of minor-to-moderate radio blackouts through March 6.
The northern lights Kp index weakens later in the week, according to NOAA, with Tuesday and Wednesday’s Kp indexes reaching levels of about 2 or 3.
Nearly all of Alaska has a high likelihood of seeing the northern lights on Tuesday night, according to NOAA’s projection (see map below). Other states with a moderate chance of seeing the lights include Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. Other states that fall within the NOAA’s projected view line, the point with the lowest chance of seeing the aurora, include Wyoming, South Dakota, Iowa, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine.
The best time to catch the northern lights is when it is dark out, ideally between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time, according to NOAA. The agency recommends finding a high vantage point, traveling as far north as possible and avoiding light pollution to get the best view of the lights.
National Geographic recommends using a wide-angle lens and using a tripod for stability. Night mode on an iPhone can also help capture the northern lights. National Geographic also recommends using an aperture value of 4.0 or lower and composing the image by capturing trees, bodies of water or mountains to frame the picture.
The northern lights have made frequent appearances in American skies throughout 2024, marking a period of unusual activity for aurora borealis. NASA said the visibility of the lights hit a 500-year peak last year, and it expects these bright, active lights will continue throughout 2026. The aurora borealis has been visible so often because the sun is in its “solar maximum,” the period of its 11-year cycle during which it is most active, which has caused events like solar flares and storms. Some of the strongest solar flares in decades have been observed, including a flare in October measured at a level of X9.0, which caused auroras with a Kp index as high as 7 that were visible as far south as Florida.
NOAA, the agency that issues northern lights forecasts, and also forecasts the weather, monitors the climate and works on coastal restoration, has been targeted by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency for layoffs. Hundreds of employees, including meteorologists, scientists and communications officials, were reportedly fired last week. Some scientists and politicians have warned these firings could disrupt ship navigation, farmers and weather forecasts. More than 1,000 protesters gathered outside a NOAA building in Boulder, Colorado on Monday to protest the agency’s firings.
Over 1,000 protest NOAA scientist layoffs in Colorado (Reuters)