If you missed last night’s spectacular northern lights, fear not. There could be another chance to view the aurora borealis on Friday night.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) explained that the aurora borealis may become visible over many northern U.S. states, and some of the lower Midwest to Oregon.
The lights are best observed “just after sunset,” NOAA advised. If you can’t see them with the naked eye, you may be able to capture them on a phone or camera.
On Thursday night, Americans as far south as Florida and as north as Maine were treated to a rare, dazzling show of red, green, and purple. People in otherwise brightly lit cities like New York City and Chicago posted photos to social media of the rare sighting. The aurora borealis is normally only visible near Earth’s poles, not over the contiguous U.S.
Thursday and Friday nights’ aurora borealis sightings are the result of a “strong” G3 geomagnetic storm (3 out of 5 on NOAA’s severity scale). A geomagnetic storm occurs when a coronal mass ejection, an eruption of solar material, reaches Earth.
This year’s increased solar activity is likely the result of an 11-year sun cycle peaking through October. Solar activity is expected to remain high for the next year or so.
Track the aurora borealis on NOAA’s map and page, where the agency is providing live updates.