In a year that’s been full of spectacular northern lights, we’ve got at least one more big night to watch the amazing colors. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting that a recent geomagnetic storm will create a visible aurora borealis in several states tonight.
This most recent aurora event comes to Earth courtesy of a coronal mass ejection from the sun on Sunday. Coronal mass ejections are massive bursts of plasma and other solar materials that are forcibly blasted from the star. These events occur fairly consistently when the sun is at its solar maximum, which it will be through the end of the year and into 2026.
NOAA predicted auroras on both Monday and Tuesday night, thanks to a G3 magnetic storm.
Where will the aurora be visible tonight?
NOAA predicts that people in 15 US states could be able to see the aurora tonight. Residents in Washington state, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula should get a good look, and it may also be visible in Oregon, Nebraska, Wyoming, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, if you can get to high ground and look north. The very northern reaches of Indiana, Illinois and New York may also see some action. As always, Alaska and Canada offer the best view.
This round of aurora borealis isn’t likely to be quite as far-reaching as the massive aurora that hit in early November. Those were caused by X-Class coronal mass ejections, which are a level above the M-Class. Aurora predictions are much like the weather, so they may change depending on whether the geomagnetic storm is weaker or stronger than its current forecast.
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Tips for watching the aurora borealis
Your standard aurora-watching tips all apply for this one. You’ll want to get as high as you can and face north to get your best view of the aurora from your location. The further away you are from the Canadian border, the higher up you’ll need to go to see it. You will also want to get out of the city and suburbia to minimize light pollution.
The bad news is that December’s full moon, which was also a supermoon, was just a few days ago, so it’s still mostly full in the night sky. The light pollution from the moon will almost certainly harm your ability to see the northern lights, especially if you’re in one of the southernmost states in NOAA’s prediction area.
Should you decide to head out, keep an eye out for meteors as well. The Geminids meteor shower began on Thursday and is nearing its peak on Saturday and Sunday, so you may see a few shooting stars while you’re out looking for the aurora.
