02-06-2025
Will Tennessee see the northern lights in 2025? Solar maximus peak could mean more chances
If you were up in the early morning hours of June 1, you might have been able to catch a glimpse of the aurora borealis that crept down into the Tennessee area. If you didn't, don't worry, astronomers predict people in the South may have a chance to see it again in 2025.
On May 31, a coronal mass ejection (CME) — a vast plume of solar material — erupted from the sun and began hurtling towards Earth, according to The CME is a geomagnetic storm that comes in Earth's direction that has the ability to hinder communications but also gives us the brilliance of the northern lights.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center stated on May 31 and into June that a G4 "severe" geomagnetic storm was emitted that had the potential to affect communication by hampering radio signals and satellites. On June 2, a G3 geomagnetic storm was also detected.
The northern lights across Tennessee: See the photos and why we might see them again
The geomagnetic storm is a coronal mass ejection (CME), which are large expulsions of plasma and magnetic field from the sun's atmosphere known as the corona, according to This is one of several coronal mass ejections and storms that Earth has experienced over the last several years.
While these geomagnetic storms from coronal mass ejections can affect satellites and our power grids, they also create the aurora borealis effect. And when they are strong enough, they allow for the northern lights to be seen as far south as Alabama.
Here's what you need to know about the storm and if Tennesseans will see the aurora borealis once again.
Most likely not.
The dancing red and green lights of the aurora borealis aren't an unusual sight for people in the northern part of the United States and in Canada, but in the South it is a rare treat.
In May 2024, much of the country got to see them. In 2025, though, June 1 was the first time there was a chance that the aurora borealis could be seen further south. Recent predictions from NOAA have the northern lights dancing their way down to the northern states once again on June 2, but the chance Tennesseans would be able to see them is slim to none.
Our friends further north have the best seats in the country for June 2's light show. States best positioned within the aurora viewing line include:
Alaska
Montana
North Dakota
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Michigan
States as far south as Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska may have a chance to see the lights, according to NOAA.
In 2024, NASA scientists predicted that the solar maximum, or the next peak in solar activity, would occur in July 2025. This means the northern lights will start to get stronger and more frequent as the solar maximum approaches, reported USA TODAY.
Solar maximum is expected in July 2025, with a peak of 115 sunspots, according to NOAA.
'How quickly solar activity rises is an indicator on how strong the solar cycle will be,' said Doug Biesecker, Ph.D., panel co-chair and a solar physicist at NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center. 'Although we've seen a steady increase in sunspot activity this year, it is slow.'
Even with slow activity, the peak in July could mean even more solar activity, including the geomagnetic storms that cause the Northern Lights.
Meaning, seeing the aurora borealis in Tennessee again in 2025 is possible, but there are no guarantees.
These slow moving expulsions of plasma and magnetic fields can cause issues on Earth, but are often heralded as a good thing for the light show they also provide.
CMEs have been known to affect power grids, telecommunication networks and orbiting satellites and expose astronauts to dangerous doses of radiation, according to The expulsions are also the reason we get to see the aurora borealis in the United States without having to make a very long trek north.
In short, the northern lights can be seen thanks to particles being released by solar flares from the sun and hitting the Earth's magnetic field. That colored glow from the aurora that we end up seeing is the particles interacting with atmospheric gas molecules.
In this case, green and red light are emitted by oxygen. Blue and purple come from nitrogen, according to NASA.
Tennessee may not be the typical place to see the northern lights, but it has been known to happen, according to The Tennessee Conservationist.
When the sun goes through a solar discharge cycle, which is when the sun releases a large number of charged particles into space, the northern lights reach further south. Before May 10, the last time Tennesseans could see the northern lights were in 2023. There have been reports of the aurora borealis being spotted in the early 2000s as well.
But since the sun is nearing a peak of a solar discharge cycle there is a chance for more light shows in the future.
USA TODAY contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Will Tennessee see the northern lights 2025? Maybe, here's why
