The northern lights may be brighter than usual in the northernmost states Monday night as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration projects an unusually strong aurora borealis forecast, following a strong geomagnetic storm expected to take place overnight.
The northern lights forecast is stronger than usual for Monday night. (Photo by Hasan Akbas/Anadolu ... [+]
Monday night’s northern lights could have a Kp index as strong as 6.67 on a scale of 0 to 9, according to NOAA’s three-day aurora borealis forecast, indicating lights that are “quite bright and active.”
The potentially strong lights will be prompted by a strong G3-level geomagnetic storm that is expected to take place overnight, NOAA said, which is the result of an ejection of solar material that took place Sunday.
The strong forecast is expected to continue into Tuesday night with a slightly lower projected Kp index of 5, according to NOAA’s forecast.
Alaska has the highest likelihood of an aurora sighting Monday night (see map below). Other states with a lower likelihood of viewing the northern lights include Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin. States along the aurora’s projected view line—the southern extent of its visibility—include Oregon, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
Monday night's northern lights forecast.
NOAA says the best time to catch the lights is between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time. The agency also recommends finding a high vantage point with unobstructed views, avoiding light pollution and traveling as far north as possible.
National Geographic recommends using a tripod for stability, a lower shutter speed, a wide-angle lens and night mode, if using an iPhone.
Northern lights visibility hit a 500-year peak this year, NASA said, because solar activity has exceeded scientists’ expectations. The agency announced in October the sun had reached its “solar maximum” in its current 11-year solar cycle, which means the sun is in a period of heightened activity that includes solar flares, geomagnetic storms and coronal mass ejections. NASA expects heightened solar activity to continue into 2025 and 2026, before decreasing in the latter part of the decade.