15 states will see the northern lights tonight. Will Arizona be one of them?
Aurora chasers, get ready: The northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, are expected to make a dazzling appearance between Tuesday night, June 24, and Wednesday night, June 25, with peak viewing hours typically between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time.
According to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, people in more than a dozen states will be able to catch a glimpse of the aurora borealis.
NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center expects the Kp index — an indicator of how visible the northern lights will be — to hit 5.67, strong enough to expand the auroral oval farther south than usual.
Here is everything to know about the northern lights this week, including whether they will be visible in Arizona.
The northern lights will actually be visible in 15 states tonight:
Alaska.
Washington.
Idaho.
Montana.
Wyoming.
North Dakota.
South Dakota.
Iowa.
Minnesota.
Wisconsin.
Michigan.
New York.
Vermont.
New Hampshire.
Maine.
The northern lights will not be seen in Arizona tonight; the state is too far south. While rare solar storms have very occasionally pushed the lights as far south as Colorado or northern Texas, Arizona skies generally miss out on the glow.
The best time to view the northern lights is between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time June 24-25.
The northern lights are caused by charged particles from the sun colliding with Earth's atmosphere. When the sun releases a burst of energy, known as a solar wind or coronal mass ejection, these particles travel through space and interact with Earth's magnetic field, according to Space.com.
The northern lights are typically seen in the auroral zone, a ring-shaped region around the Earth's magnetic North Pole. Prime viewing spots include:
Alaska.
Northern Canada.
Iceland.
Norway.
Sweden.
Finland.
Northern Russia.
To check if the northern lights will be visible, look for aurora forecasts that monitor solar activity and geomagnetic storms, which are the two main factors behind the aurora borealis. Several websites and apps provide real-time updates and predictions, including:
NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center.
University of Alaska Fairbanks Aurora Forecast.
These tools typically show a Kp index, a scale from 0 to 9 that measures geomagnetic activity. A higher number means better chances of seeing the lights, especially at lower latitudes. If you're not in the auroral zone, you'll need a Kp of 7 or higher to have a chance.
The northern lights can last a few minutes to several hours. There's no guaranteed timeframe, and they can appear at any time during the night.
In the U.S., you'll want to look toward the northern horizon. The aurora usually starts low on the horizon and, during stronger storms, can stretch overhead, but your best bet is facing north.
Got a story you want to share? Reach out at Tiffany.Acosta@gannett.com. Follow @tiffsario on Instagram.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Northern lights forecast: Where and when to see them tonight
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