Northern Lights Update: These States Could See Aurora Borealis Tonight
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A section of the northern U.S. could have an opportunity to see aurora borealis tonight, according to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast, and NASA believes stargazers will have more chances as activity on the sun’s surface peaks.
Thursday night’s aurora borealis forecast has a Kp index of four on a scale of nine, indicating the northern lights will become brighter and be “quite pleasing to look at” for people in the right areas.
Auroral activity is expected to increase on Friday before decreasing through the weekend, according to NOAA, as no geomagnetic storms—caused by a burst of energy and particles released by the sun—are forecast.
Though NOAA expects weaker auroral activity this weekend, agency officials and NASA said last week a “solar maximum” had been reached on the sun’s surface, likely increasing the number of sunspots that result in “high-impact” space weather that causes aurora borealis to form.
Select states near the Canadian border will have a lower chance of seeing the northern lights, with a higher likelihood of seeing the phenomenon across Canada and Alaska, according to NOAA. There’s a chance of seeing aurora borealis in northern Washington, Idaho, Montana, Minnesota and Wisconsin, and a lower likelihood in South Dakota, Michigan and northern Maine. (See viewing line below.)
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