Northern lights tonight? NOAA, experts say conditions right in portions of US
Aurora fans, we have some good news for you.
The northern lights, aka the aurora borealis, could be visible across several northern states overnight tonight — Wednesday evening into Thursday morning — scientists reported.
"Expect aurora down to mid-latitudes starting early July 20," said space weather physicist Tamitha Skov on Twitter.
According to the Washington Post, the dancing lights of the aurora might be seen in the Northeast, northern and central Great Plains and northern Rockies tonight.
NOAA's Space Weather Prediction center predicts that a minor geomagnetic storm is on the way for Earth, thanks to a recent solar flare and coronal mass ejection from the sun. Geomagnetic storms are the catalyst for the appearance of the aurora.
This forecast comes on the heels of a well-publicized aurora prediction earlier this month, which turned out to be a bust.
Predicting northern lights displays — even hours before they happen — is a tricky business that requires making observations from millions of miles away. Viewing can also be impacted by ground conditions.
But there is good news: The dazzling display might be coming to a sky near you more often over the next few years thanks to the "solar maximum," which occurs in 2025.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Northern lights forecast: The aurora borealis could appear tonight
