The Northern Lights may light up the skies across 17 states this week, supercharged by a solar storm that will make the dramatic and colorful displays visible at lower latitudes than normal.
If the weather permits, Northern Lights could be seen in Alaska, Idaho Idaho, Indiana Maine Maryland Michigan Minnesota Minnesota New Hampshire New York North Dakota Oregon South Dakota Vermont Washington Wisconsin Wyoming. The shimmering light show will also be visible from several Canadian cities, including Toronto and Vancouver.
If conditions are clear, cities such as Helena, Montana; Montpelier, Vermont; Minneapolis and Milwaukee are expected to have “highly active auroral displays” visible overhead. According to University of Alaska Fairbanks, northern lights can be seen low in the sky over Idaho, Indiana and Maryland. They will also appear on the horizon of Oregon, Wyoming, Idaho and Idaho.
The best places to view the auroras is in locations with clear skies and darkness, says the University’s Geophysical Institute . NOAA says that if conditions are good and Northern Lights appear bright enough, you can see them up to 600miles away. Skywatchers should pick a spot away from city lights, the agency said, and aim for “within an hour or two of midnight (between 10 PM and 2 AM local time).”
NOAA provides short-term, 30-minute forecasts of the location and intensity of auroral displays that include tips for how best to view them from various places around the world.
The Northern Lights are caused by solar storms. These solar storms eject clouds of charged particles into space that occasionally rain down on Earth’s magnetic field. The colorful neon lights are created when these charged particles collide with atoms and molecules in the planet’s upper atmosphere, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Auroras appear most commonly as shimmering displays of green light, but reddish, pink, blue and purple hues can also be seen, depending on the composition and density of the atmosphere.
The Northern Lights are typically seen at high latitudes, but strong solar storms can intensify the displays, making them visible in places farther south than normal.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks is also forecasting “moderate” auroral activity on Friday, with displays visible in parts of northern Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan.
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