Will the northern lights be visible in Kentucky tonight? What we know about Monday's chances
The northern lights put on a dazzling show late Sunday into early Monday morning across several U.S. states. If you didn't see them, not to worry — you've got another shot at spotting auroras Monday night. You might have to do some traveling, though, depending on how far south you live from the U.S.-Canadian border.
More geomagnetic storms are predicted to hit the Earth soon, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, but their level of activity won't be as strong.
While space weather is notoriously hard to predict, here's what we know about Kentucky's chances of seeing the northern lights.
In short, the odds aren't great. Experts at NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center say the Kp index — a measure of Earth's geomagnetic activity — will be lower Monday night than on Sunday, meaning the auroras will be further north.
Weather permitting, the northern lights could be visible low on the horizon in cities that include Seattle, Des Moines, Chicago, Cleveland and Boston, according to the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, Geophysical Institute website, which tracks the phenomenon.
If you can't spot the northern lights in Kentucky this week, the Blue Grass state still has a great spot for stargazing. Mammoth Cave National Park, roughly 90 miles south of Louisville, is an International Dark Sky location and therefore an excellent place to view the constellations and meteor showers this summer.
People living in Alaska, Wyoming, Pennsylvania and Minnesota shared images of Sunday's auroras across social media. Here's a little bit of what they saw.
Experts say the best auroras are usually within an hour or two of midnight (between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time).
These hours expand towards evening and morning as the level of geomagnetic activity increases. There may be aurora in the evening and morning, but it is usually not as active and therefore, not as visually appealing, according to NOAA.
Check out this northern lights photo gallery from October 2024.
More amazing things to watch: Return to Hawkins, Indiana, with 'Stranger Things' Season 5 release this fall.
John Tufts covers trending news for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com. Find him on BlueSky at JohnWritesStuff.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Will the northern lights appear Monday over Kentucky? Check this map
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