Northern lights may be visible in US this weekend: Check the forecast in your area
The aurora borealis, the famous display better known as the northern lights, may make an appearance this weekend to select lucky skygazers who may already be on the lookout for one of the year's best meteor showers.
Because the Perseids are also on tap to put on a dazzling spectacle across the night sky, it's possible some people could be treated to a double serving of celestial phenomena.
A Friday forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts that solar activity could reach high enough levels to make the auroras visible in certain regions of the United States. The storm watch that the agency's Space Weather Prediction Center issued for Friday through Sunday largely coincides with when the Perseid meteor shower would be peaking.
Here's what to know about the northern lights, and how you may be able to catch a glimpse of them.
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Where are northern lights forecast to be most visible?
The coronal mass ejections – clouds of plasma and charged particles – making their way toward our planet could be strong enough drive a geomagnetic storm that makes the auroras visible.
NOAA forecasters use a five-level 'G scale' to measure the intensity of geomagnetic storms, which are caused when coronal mass ejections release solar particles and electromagnetic radiation toward our planet. If the incoming geomagnetic storm reaches a moderate G2 level as predicted, the auroras may become visible over some northern and upper Midwest states, from New York to Idaho, according to NOAA.
Such electromagnetic activity will only increase as the sun continues to reach the height of its 11-year solar cycle, which NASA said is expected to be in 2025. What that so-called "solar maximum" means for us is that the risk increases for disruption to satellite signals, radio communications, internet and electrical power grids.
But so too does the potential to see some of these impressive northern lights displays.
When can you see the northern lights?
The upcoming solar storm will have particles flowing from the sun that get caught up in Earth's magnetic field, causing colorful auroras to form as they interact with molecules of atmospheric gases. The resulting glowing green and reddish colors of the aurora may be quite a sight to see – if you look up at the right time.
NOAA has been tracking two coronal mass ejections that erupted Wednesday from the sun and an additional one that launched during a Thursday a solar flare. The three ejections are hurtling toward Earth and should arrive late Friday, according to NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center's forecast discussion.
If the weather is clear, the best aurora is usually visible within an hour or two of midnight, according to NOAA.
The agency maintains an aurora dashboard that should help skygazers track the phenomenon.
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The auroras are a natural light display in Earth's sky that are famously best seen in high-latitude regions.
As particles flowing from the sun get caught up in Earth's magnetic field, colorful auroras form as they interact with molecules of atmospheric gases. Earth's magnetic field redirects the particles toward the poles through a process that produces a stunning display of rays, spirals and flickers that has fascinated humans for millennia.
In may, a rare powerful geomagnetic storm unleashed spectacular views of the northern lights visible to skygazers in the U.S. and across the world. The celestial show came after NOAA issued a rare storm watch for the first time in 19 years for a geomagnetic storm classified as a G4 – a single level away from being the most severe solar storm possible.
The solar storm that the coronal mass ejections caused led to some reports of power grid irregularities and functional decreases in high-frequency, communications and GPS systems, NOAA said.
But because the sun is at the height of its 11-year cycle, the storm also created optimal conditions for the auroras to put on a light show for far more Americans than usual.
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]