How to see auroras in the USA

Aurora hunters eager to see the famous northern lights need not worry about traveling to Alaska, a state known as one of the best places in North America to see shades of green and red.

In the coming months, the famous celestial phenomenon better known as the Northern Lights could appear in a sky near you – if it hasn’t already. Now that the Sun has officially reached its solar maximum, skywatchers around the world should expect auroras to blanket the night sky in the northern hemisphere more frequently, according to NASA.

So how does the sun affect a phenomenon that is best observed when it is nowhere to be found? It’s all due to solar flares, geomagnetic storms, and some pretty cool interactions in Earth’s atmosphere.

Here’s everything you need to know about the northern lights and how to see them now that the sun has reached its solar maximum.

Northern Lights to Peak: The sun is currently at solar maximum, which means there is more auroral activity.

What is solar maximum?

The sun and the intense magnetic activity it generates that causes the northern lights waxes and wanes during the 11-year solar cycle. The peak of activity—solar maximum—occurs when the sun’s north and south magnetic poles reverse.

When this happens, the Sun “changes from a quiet state to an active and stormy state,” NASA said in an October press release.

NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration track sunspots—the source of solar eruptions—to predict the course of the solar cycle and the solar activity it fuels.

Now that the agencies have determined that the Sun has reached the zenith of the 25th solar cycle, the number of sunspots located in regions with intense magnetic activity should increase. When this magnetic activity is released, it creates intense bursts of radiation leading to solar flares, which NASA considers the largest explosive events in our solar system.

Solar flares emit radiation, mostly in the form of ultraviolet and x-rays, which can rush toward Earth at the speed of light. Some of these flares may be accompanied by coronal mass ejections, or clouds of plasma and charged particles that emerge from the Sun’s outermost atmosphere, the corona.

These emissions could collide with Earth’s magnetosphere, the barrier that protects humanity from the harshest effects of space weather, and cause geomagnetic storms.

New geomagnetic storms could trigger the appearance of the northern lights

This may sound scary, but due to the increased risk of things like disruption of satellite signals, radio communications, internet and power grids, it may be true.

But the increased potential for more geomagnetic storms could also mean more spectacular displays of the northern lights.

In early October, Americans from the northern United States and as far south as Alabama had the opportunity to witness the bright rays, spirals and scintillations of the northern lights, which intensified when the solar coronal mass ejection of plasma clouds and charged particles sent a geomagnetic storm toward Earth. The storm was so strong that it prompted NOAA to release a rare G4 geomagnetic storm watch for the second time this year.

The first occurred in May, when a powerful geomagnetic storm caused some reports of disruption to the power grid and interference with GPS signals – even on agricultural equipment. On the other hand, it has also opened up spectacular views of the northern lights in parts of the country where auroras are rarely seen.

This particular storm watch was the first released by NOAA in 19 years for a geomagnetic storm classified as G4—one level away from the strongest solar storm. The sun even released an explosive burst of radiation amid solar activity, making it the largest solar flare detected since 2017, according to NOAA.

The phenomenon, which has appeared several times in the U.S. recently, was also noticeably visible again in August during the Perseids, which astronomers consider the best meteor shower of the year.

Moreover, since NASA expects the solar maximum to continue into 2025, aurora hunters should have many more opportunities to catch the northern lights.

What causes auroras?

Auroras are a natural light phenomenon in Earth’s skies that are known to be best visible in high-latitude regions of the northern and southern hemispheres.

This phenomenon occurs when electrically charged particles from space enter the Earth’s atmosphere and collide with molecules and gases such as oxygen and nitrogen, causing the atmospheric particles to gain energy. To return to their normal state, the particles release this energy in the form of light, according to the website of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, which tracks this phenomenon.

When auroras form, the Earth’s magnetic field redirects particles toward the poles through a process that creates a stunning display of rays, spirals and twinkles that has fascinated people for millennia. The shades of green, red, blue and even pink dancing in the sky depend on the altitude at which the collisions occur, as well as the composition and density of the atmosphere at that moment.

Where and when can you see the northern lights?

Solar storms send particles emanating from the Sun that are captured by the Earth’s magnetic field, causing the formation of colorful auroras when they interact with molecules of atmospheric gases. The resulting glowing auroras could be a sight to behold in the coming months if you look up in the right place at the right time.

Auroras are best seen around the magnetic poles of the northern and southern hemispheres in places such as Europe, Asia and North America. It is well known in the US that Alaska has the best opportunities for viewing the Northern Lights.

Although conditions are ideal for new impending aurora events, experts have long struggled to accurately predict when and where the phenomenon will ever occur. Even the best forecasts can only be made accurately a few days or even hours in advance.

However, NOAA maintains an auroral dashboard that should help skywatchers track the phenomenon.

And if it looks like the northern lights will appear near you, it is recommended to leave the cities and go to dark places free from light pollution. In clear weather, the best aurora is usually visible within an hour or two after midnight, according to NOAA.

Contributing: Max Hauptman, USA TODAY

A version of this story was last published Oct. 1.

Eric Lagatta covers the latest and trending news for USA TODAY. Contact him at [email protected]..

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Northern Lights Should Bloom at Solar Maximum: How to See the Auroras