Valentine’s Day could bring a dazzling display of the northern lights for stargazers in some parts of the U.S.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center has forecast solar G1 geomagnetic storm conditions for Thursday evening, which could bring aurora displays to Earth by Friday. On the planetary K-index, which characterizes the magnitude of geomagnetic storms on a scale of zero to nine, a “G1” is considered minor, according to NOAA.
Northern lights are visible in the sky in Sterling Heights, Mich., October. 10, 2024.
Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images
In the U.S., states including Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Alaska could see the northern lights over the coming days if conditions are right, according to NOAA’s aurora viewline map.
The auroras could extend as far south as northern Michigan and Maine, depending on the strength of the solar storm.
The sun’s magnetic field is currently in its solar maximum – the stage of its cycle when solar activity and energy discharge is the highest – which has produced an uptick in northern lights activity over the past several months.
Coronal mass ejections (CME), which are bursts of magnetized plasma emitted from the sun’s corona, travel toward Earth as part of the solar wind, manifesting in a spectrum of luminous green and pink as the material interacts with Earth’s magnetic field.
A rare aurora borealis hangs over the rocky shoreline of Peaks Island, Maine, May 10, 2024.
Ben McCanna/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images
The most recent geomagnetic storm will be especially driven by a high solar wind event, according to NOAA. The same solar wind event sparked a previous G1 storm on Sunday.
It’s difficult to predict the exact timing and location of northern lights viewing because the sun is roughly 93 million miles away, meaning it can take days for CMEs to reach Earth, according to space experts.
However, a citizen science platform called Aurorasaurus sends alerts to users if an aurora may be visible in their area and can also send alerts in real time regarding where the northern lights are currently being seen.
A view of the Northern Lights, a natural phenomenon caused by the interaction between the Earth’s magnetic field and charged particles from the Sun by the Eklutna Lake of Alaska, Dec. 31, 2024.
Hasan Akbas/Anadolu via Getty Images
The best times to view the northern lights are in the hours immediately before and after midnight, according to NOAA. Getting away from light pollution or even the bright light of a full moon will allow for improved viewing conditions, space experts say.
If you want to photograph the northern lights, smartphones and digital cameras are more sensitive to the aurora’s array of colors and can capture the northern lights even if they aren’t visible to the naked eye, according to NASA.
