More states in the northern U.S. will have a chance of seeing aurora borealis on Friday, as high-speed winds from a spot on the sun’s surface may affect the Earth’s magnetic field, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
High-speed winds from a spot on the sun’s surface may affect the Earth’s magnetic field, forecasters ... [+]
NOAA forecast a Kp index of five on a scale of nine for Friday night, indicating aurora borealis will be seen further south from the North Pole and be “quite pleasing to look at” for those in the right areas.
Forecasters said a coronal hole high-speed stream—winds from a cooler, less dense area on the sun’s surface—will likely result in a geomagnetic storm later Friday, marking a disturbance in Earth’s magnetic field that could pull the northern lights further south, according to NOAA’s three-day forecast.
Auroral activity is expected to be calmer this weekend, with a Kp index of three forecast for Saturday and Sunday.
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Alaska has the highest chance of seeing the northern lights, while parts of northeastern Washington, northern Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan have a lower chance. Areas in Wyoming, South Dakota, northern Iowa, northern New York, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine have an even lower likelihood. (See view line below.)
Friday night's view line.
NOAA recommends traveling to a high vantage point away from light pollution and observing the night sky between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time. If conditions are optimal, aurora borealis could be seen as far as 600 miles away.
National Geographic recommends using a wide-angle lens with a high ISO value and focus set to the farthest possible setting. If using a smartphone, NOAA suggests turning on night mode, as a phone’s camera can photograph the northern lights even if they aren’t visible to the naked eye.
The northern lights will be seen more frequently by more people throughout 2025 as activity on the sun’s surface maintains a “solar maximum,” according to NASA. Activity is measured over 11-year periods, achieving a “solar minimum” and a “solar maximum,” which NASA said was reached in October 2024. Events like solar flares—eruptions of energy from the sun’s surface—and coronal mass ejections, or bubbles of plasma that burst with those fares, produce the northern lights. Electrons from these events release light particles after interacting with molecules and atoms of nitrogen and oxygen in the atmosphere, according to NOAA.