Topline
A grouping of states in the northern U.S. might have an opportunity to see the northern lights Saturday, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Auroral activity is forecast with a Kp index of three on a scale of nine for Saturday night, suggesting the northern lights may be seen in areas closer to the Canadian border.
Tonight’s forecast may be upgraded earlier in the day, as NOAA projects a maximum Kp index of around four later and up to nearly four early Sunday morning, according to the agency’s three-day outlook.
Minor geomagnetic storms are expected late Saturday, though they likely won’t persist into early Sunday, according to NOAA.
Most of Alaska will have a chance to see the northern lights once the sun sets in the state, with a lesser opportunity forecast for parts of Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Upper Michigan. (See map below.)
The northern lights are best seen between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time while at a high, north-facing vantage point away from light pollution, according to NOAA. Aurora borealis is best seen from late September into early April because of the longer nights, though the phenomenon can still be seen throughout the year depending on solar activity.
NOAA suggests turning on night mode and disabling flash if using a smartphone, while also relying on a tripod to stabilize the image. With a regular camera, photography experts told National Geographic a wide-angle lens, an aperture of four or less and a focus set to the furthest possible setting are recommended to capture the northern lights.
Increased solar activity is expected to persist into early 2026, according to projections from NOAA and NASA. This peak in activity was achieved during the sun’s “solar maximum,” which occurs periodically throughout the sun’s 11-year cycle. Solar events like coronal mass ejections and solar flares are largely responsible for creating the northern lights, including a recent coronal mass ejection that NOAA said would bring the phenomenon to nearly 20 states earlier this week. Electrons from these events collide with oxygen and nitrogen in the Earth’s atmosphere, creating the swirling, colorful lights of aurora borealis as they become “excited” at the intersection.