Northern lights forecast: See projected aurora map for July 23
Parts of nearly a dozen states along the northern tier of the U.S. have a low chance of seeing aurora borealis due to minor geomagnetic activity, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center.
NOAA predicted a geomagnetic K-index of 4 for Wednesday, July 23. That lowers its previous projection of a K-index of 5, which would have indicated a minor solar energy event.
The K-index measures geomagnetic activity and indicates how far away from the poles the northern lights could be visible, according to NOAA. A Kp score between 3-5 indicates brighter and increased activity, per NOAA.
The natural phenomenon, which is formally known as the aurora borealis, can project colorful lights in the night sky thanks to an interaction between the sun's plasma and earth's magnetic field, according to the National Weather Service.
When could the northern lights be visible?
The aurora is not visible during the daylight hours, and is usually seen just after sunset or just before sunrise, according to NOAA. The best aurora is usually within an hour or two of midnight, according to the agency.
Where could the northern lights be visible? See map
Parts of 10 states are within NOAA's forecasted "view line" for the northern lights on July 23. The view line indicates the southernmost point where the aurora could be seen on the northern horizon.
Parts of the following states are located within NOAA's forecasted aurora view line:
Alaska
Washington
Idaho
Montana
North Dakota
South Dakota
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Michigan
Maine
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at melina.khan@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Northern lights forecast: Map shows where aurora could be seen July 23
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