Photos show northern lights visible in night sky across much of US
Always cool to see from near Las Vegas. Was visible in camera only, but I'll take it. 2 to 4am.
— Tyler Leavitt owner of tslclick.com (@tslclick)
NORTHERN LIGHTS tonight! reminder for 🇨🇦 & 27 🇺🇸 states, as far south as Alabama 😳
They are worth seeing, never know when you'll be able to next!
I saw last night
— Tomahawk (@Oskth04)
We could see the Northern lights (aurora borealis) from the Grand Teton National Park.
A massive geomagnetic storm fueled by an ongoing coronal mass ejection brought the lights to much of the northern U.S. over the weekend.
— Gage Goulding - KPRC 2 (@GageGoulding)
Northern lights 6/1/2025
— Brian Morris (@BsauceSays)
Julia Capraro can be reached at
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Forbes
16 hours ago
- Forbes
Northern Lights Alert: These 8 States May See Aurora Borealis Friday
Some northern U.S. states might have an opportunity to see the northern lights Friday, and a recent coronal mass ejection will likely bring the phenomenon to more areas this weekend, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A recent coronal mass ejection may pull the northern lights to more states this weekend, forecasters ... More said. Auroral activity is forecast with a Kp index of three on a scale of nine for Friday night, suggesting the northern lights will be brighter and more active away from the poles, according to NOAA's projections. Friday night's forecast may increase through early Saturday morning to a Kp index of nearly four, improving NOAA's projections to suggest the aurora borealis could be visible in parts of South Dakota and Maine, the agency's three-day forecast suggests. A Kp index of nearly five is expected for Saturday night, as the 'influences' of a coronal mass ejection emitted from the sun on June 4 will likely disrupt the Earth's geomagnetic field, NOAA said. The northern lights have the highest chance of visibility across Canada and Alaska, while a lesser opportunity is forecast in parts of northeastern Washington, northern Idaho, Montana, northern Minnesota, North Dakota, northern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. (See map below.) Friday night's view line. It's best to travel to an unobstructed, north-facing and high vantage point between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time, according to NOAA. With a regular camera, NASA recommends setting up with a tripod, a wide-angle lens, an aperture or F-stop of four or less and a focus set to the furthest possible setting to capture the northern lights. If using a smartphone, NASA said it's best to disable flash and enable night mode. Projections from NASA and NOAA suggest northern lights displays will be more visible in more U.S. states through early 2026, after activity on the sun's surface achieved a 'solar maximum' last year. This peak coincides with increased solar events like solar flares and coronal mass ejections, which are responsible for auroral activity and geomagnetic activity in the Earth's atmosphere. Electrons from these events collide with molecules of oxygen and nitrogen, causing them to become 'excited' before releasing the colorful, swirling lights of the aurora borealis.
Forbes
20 hours ago
- Forbes
Northern Lights Forecast: 10 States May See Coronal Mass Ejection Arrive This Weekend
The Northern Lights may be visible in the U.S. this weekend, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center, which is predicting aurora may be potentially glimpsed from 10 U.S. states on Saturday, June 7. It comes in the wake of a coronal mass ejection — a cloud of super-charged particles — departing the sun on Tuesday, June 3. A CME takes a few days to travel from the sun to Earth, but exactly when it arrives is always difficult to accurately predict. 'By mid to late on 07 Jun, a glancing blow from the 03 Jun CME is expected to cause an enhancement in magnetic field parameters,' reads a forecast from NOAA. 'By mid to late on 07 Jun, G1 (Minor) storm conditions are likely with the arrival of the 03 Jun CME.' It all comes just days after a rare G4 geomagnetic storm that lit up June skies worldwide last weekend, with bright auroras across the world after a 'fast halo CME' arrived. There is currently an Earth-facing coronal hole on the sun — a large hole in its atmosphere where magnetic fields can escape — that is creating a fast-moving and turbulent stream of solar wind to move in the direction of Earth. A G1 geomagnetic storm on Saturday, June 7, may have aurora visible from northern U.S. states. 'Migratory animals are affected at this and higher levels; aurora is commonly visible at high latitudes (northern Michigan and Maine),' according to NOAA, though its aurora view line has the phenomenon potentially visible from 10 states. The parts of U.S. states that could potentially see aurora, according to NOAA, include northern Washington, northern Idaho, Montana, northeastern Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, northeastern New York and northern Maine. According to NOAA, the aurora does not need to be directly overhead. It can be seen from as much as 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) away 'when the aurora is bright and if conditions are right.' That will mean, at the very least, clear skies and an observing location away from light pollution — with a dark northern horizon particularly important. Before heading out to look for aurora, check the latest weather as well as space weather forecasts, including NOAA's 30-minute forecast and the Glendale App. Both services use data from NASA's DSCOVR and ACE satellites, which orbit about a million miles out and measure the solar wind's speed and magnetic intensity. They give a roughly 30-minute warning of aurora displays. The Northern Lights are caused by the solar wind, a stream of charged particles from the sun interacting with Earth's magnetic field. Its charged particles accelerate along the magnetic field lines toward the polar regions, where they collide with oxygen and nitrogen atoms, exciting them and causing them to release energy as light. Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
Forbes
3 days ago
- Forbes
Northern Lights Alert: These 13 States May See Aurora Tonight
The northern lights (aurora borealis) lights up the northern sky as the Old Faithful geyser emits ... More steam on May 12, 2024 in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. (Photo by) The Northern Lights may be visible in the U.S. tonight and through the week, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center, which is predicting enough geomagnetic activity for the aurora to be potentially glimpsed from as many as 15 U.S. states on Wednesday, June 4. It comes in the wake of a rare G4 geomagnetic storm that lit up June skies worldwide last weekend, with vivid auroras visible after a 'fast halo CME' sparked dazzling Northern and Southern Lights far from polar regions. The latest forecast has a G1 geomagnetic storm tonight as soon as it gets dark in North America. 'Migratory animals are affected at this and higher levels; aurora is commonly visible at high latitudes (northern Michigan and Maine),' according to NOAA, though its aurora view line has the phenomenon potentially visible from parts of 13 states. U.S. states that could potentially see aurora, according to NOAA, include Washington, northern Idaho, Montana, northern Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, northern Iowa, Wisconsin, northern New York, northern Vermont, northern New Hampshire and northern Maine. Regions far from light pollution and with a dark northern horizon are likely to get the best views. NOAA's aurora viewline for Wednesday, June 4, 2025. According to NOAA's forecast, the Kp index — which provides a rough guide to the intensity of aurora displays — may reach 5, seeing the auroral oval stretch farther south than is typical. Kp 5 equates to a G1-class geomagnetic storm. For a Kp in the range of 3-5, the aurora can be 'The aurora will move further from the poles, it will become brighter, and there will be more auroral activity (motion and formations). If you are in the right place, these aurora can be quite pleasing to look at," according to NOAA. However, anything can happen — as it did last weekend. According to NOAA's space weather forecasters, 'Unsettled to G1 (Minor) geomagnetic storming is expected on 04-05 Jun as CME effects transition into HSS activity." That refers to a coronal mass ejection — a burst of charged particles from the sun traveling through space and striking Earth's magnetosphere — and high-speed streams of solar wind. 'Quiet to active levels are expected on 06 Jun as HSS influence persists,' added NOAA's forecast. Predicting the onset of aurora is very difficult. Aurora-hunters should check NOAA's 30-minute forecast or use the Glendale App for up-to-the-minute forecasts. Both services use data from NASA's DSCOVR and ACE satellites, which orbit about a million miles out and measure the solar wind's speed and magnetic intensity. They give a roughly 30-minute warning of aurora displays. The Northern Lights are caused by the solar wind, a stream of charged particles from the sun interacting with Earth's magnetic field. Its charged particles accelerate along the magnetic field lines toward the polar regions, where they collide with oxygen and nitrogen atoms, exciting them and causing them to release energy as light. It may be that tonight's aurora is visible on camera only. Luckily, today's smartphones are ideal for capturing images of even faint aurora, which generally look white to the naked eye. If your smartphone has a 'Night Mode' feature, use it. Remember to use your primary lens, shoot in raw (if available) and use a small tripod (or support your phone on something still). Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
