Skywatchers across several northern U.S. states could catch a glimpse of the northern lights on Tuesday night. The forecast, issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, points to minor geomagnetic storms triggered by a coronal mass ejection reaching Earth.
NOAA Forecasts Geomagnetic Activity and Northern Lights Visibility
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts a Kp index of four out of nine for Tuesday night. This level of activity means the northern lights could become visible from certain northern regions along the U.S.-Canadian border, potentially appearing brighter and showing more motion and formations.
Forecasters warn of minor geomagnetic storms on Tuesday and stretching into early Wednesday morning, according to NOAA’s three-day forecast. These disturbances stem from solar winds or a coronal mass ejection.
What Triggers the Expected Solar Activity
Coronal mass ejections are expulsions of solar material with embedded magnetic fields that erupt from the Sun’s corona, or outer layer of atmosphere. This material often has a stronger magnetic field than background solar winds, according to NOAA, which can cause geomagnetic storms when it interacts with the Earth’s own magnetosphere.
Forecasters at NOAA also said Tuesday’s geomagnetic storms could be caused by a co-rotating interaction region—a compression region created by high speed solar winds interacting with slower, background solar winds. The storms expected on Tuesday and Wednesday are only expected to be minor—rated a G1 out of on NOAA’s scale. However, even minor storms can cause the northern lights to appear visible further south.
Where Stargazers Can Spot the Aurora
States along the U.S.-Canada border have a “low” likelihood for visibility on Tuesday night, according to NOAA’s prediction map. These include northern Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Most of Alaska could also see the aurora, according to NOAA’s predictions. However, the sun sets extremely late in Alaska during the summer months, meaning it likely won’t get dark enough in most of the state for the aurora to be visible.
Experts at NOAA recommend prospective viewers travel as far north as possible, towards Earth’s magnetic north pole located in northern Canada. They should position themselves on a vantage point, like a hill with a clear view of the sky and far enough away from cities or other light sources. The lights are most active in the hours just around midnight, according to NOAA, meaning viewers should try to catch the aurora between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.
Capturing the Display on Mobile Devices
An expert who spoke to National Geographic said that viewers can use smartphone cameras to capture quality photos of the aurora, provided they use the correct settings and equipment. Photographers should remember to bring a tripod and remote timer for their devices, allowing them to remain stabilized without movement long enough to capture an image of the aurora. They should also remember to turn on night mode and turn flash off, and shoot in RAW image format.
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