A number of northern states in the U.S. may be able to see the northern lights Wednesday night, according to a forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which predicted there could be a mildly strong light show.
The aurora borealis fills the sky with pink and blue waves of color over a farmhouse in Mercer, ... More
The aurora borealis forecast for Wednesday night has a Kp index of three on a scale of nine, meaning the lights can be “quite pleasing to look at” if you are in the right location.
The NOAA three-day northern lights forecast said the Kp index Wednesday could reach 4.67 around its peak due to a minor geomagnetic storm that’s expected.
The aurora borealis become visible due to geomagnetic activity, which leads to ions colliding with atmospheric gasses from Earth and creating visible displays.
The lights may be visible later in the week, too, as the forecast for Thursday night shows a Kp index of four with a more southern viewline, meaning even more states have a chance at seeing the northern lights.
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The northern lights are expected to be visible in much of Alaska and Canada Wednesday night, along with the northeast corner of Washington, northern Idaho, about half of Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and the northernmost tip of Michigan.
NOAA recommends getting out to an unobstructed, north-facing vantage point when it’s dark and being away from city lights so the brightness of the aurora is not diminished. The aurora is best seen between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time, and the best time of year to view it is around the spring and fall equinoxes.
People trying to capture the northern lights on smartphone cameras should use night mode and lower their shutter speed for a better chance at capturing the aurora’s movements.
The northern lights have become a frequent sight in the U.S. over the last year because of especially active solar activity. The sun is near its “solar maximum,” according to scientists at NASA and NOAA, which is the period of its 11-year cycle in which solar activity like geomagnetic storms are more common. They announced the sun had hit its peak in October, and said the solar maximum period could continue for about a year. Recently, some forecasts have been particularly strong, with one in late March predicting almost half of the U.S. states would be able to see the aurora when a geomagnetic storm caused the Kp index to hit 6.67.
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