Topline
A selection of states in the northern U.S. could have an opportunity to see the northern lights on Friday, and it’s possible auroral activity could increase into the new year, according to forecasts from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Activity on the sun’s surface recently reached a “solar maximum,” though projections suggest auroral … [+]
Key Facts
NOAA forecast a Kp index of three on a scale of nine for Friday night, suggesting heightened auroral activity further south from the North Pole that can be “quite pleasing to look at” for those in the right areas.
Auroral activity will likely weaken through the weekend, though Friday night’s forecast could increase and cause the phenomenon to be more visible to more people, according to NOAA’s three-day forecast.
Solar activity—events that produce the northern lights—peaked in October and will continue into 2025 and early 2026, according to NOAA, but NASA’s projections suggest a possible increase in activity in late December and early January.
Geomagnetic activity is also expected to ramp up over the next couple of years, with a potential peak in late 2025 before peaking again in 2027 and 2028, according to NASA.
Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts so you’ll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here.
Where Will The Northern Lights Be Visible?
The northern lights have a higher chance of being seen across northern Canada and Alaska, with a view line—marking a minimal opportunity—sweeping below the Canadian border. Parts of northern Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota and Upper Michigan have a low likelihood of seeing the phenomenon, while areas in northeastern Washington, northern Idaho and Wisconsin have an even lower chance. (See viewing line below.)
Friday night’s view line.
What’s The Best Way To See The Northern Lights?
The northern lights are best seen between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time while at a high vantage point away from light pollution, according to NOAA. Aurora borealis does not need to be directly overhead to be observed, NOAA said, and could be seen from as much as 620 miles away if conditions are right.
What’s The Best Way To Photograph The Northern Lights?
Auroral activity may not be visible to the naked eye, but a camera using the right settings can capture the event if it’s on stable ground, National Geographic reported. If using a regular camera, a wide-angle lens, high ISO value and focus set to the farthest possible setting will be able to photograph the phenomenon. Using night mode on a smartphone is recommended, according to Iceland’s tourism website, and using the phone camera’s built-in camera can better capture auroral activity as it moves in the night sky.
Key Background
The swaying light shows formed by aurora borealis are caused by magnetic storms triggered by activity on the sun’s surface. That activity consists of eruptions of electromagnetic radiation, or solar flares, and coronal mass ejections, or bubbles of plasma that often burst along with solar flares. Aurora borealis is then caused by the electrons from these events interacting with the oxygen and nitrogen in Earth’s upper atmosphere, causing the atoms and molecules of these gases to become “excited” before emitting small bursts of energy in the form of light, according to NASA. Auroral activity has picked up in recent months after the sun reached the peak of its 11-year cycle, causing the phenomenon to be pulled as far south as Texas. Over 11 years, activity on the sun’s surface gradually increases and decreases, achieving a “solar maximum” and a “solar minimum.” A “solar maximum” results in “great blooms” of solar radiation, causing aurora borealis to become more visible to more people, NASA said.
Surprising Fact
The European Space Agency launched a pair of satellites toward Earth’s orbit on Thursday to study the sun’s corona, or outer atmosphere. The Proba-3 mission will block out the sun’s light and create artificial solar eclipses for up to six hours at a time, allowing the ESA to study coronal mass ejections, why the sun’s corona is hotter than the sun’s surface and how solar winds accelerate. The satellites will remain in orbit for the next two years before gradually returning into the Earth’s atmosphere.
