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Earlier in the week it was fireworks, now you can look to the skies for the northern lights.
North Dakota is one of 17 states that may be able to view the northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, as they appear in the sky over the next several days. But tonight may be your best bet if you live in North Dakota.
This is not the first time this year the luminous natural phenomenon will be visible here. In late April, a geomagnetic storm created lights that were shown over 30 U.S. states including North Dakota, Iowa and Kansas. They may appear in the sky next Thursday, July 13, in more than one dozen states.
Where could the northern lights appear in North Dakota?
If the weather is clear, the northern lights will be visible throughout most of the upper half of the state on July 12 and July 13. But as stated, tonight could be the best chance for Bismarck and the northern half of the state to see the lights, according to a forecast from the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute.
What time will the northern lights be visible?
The best chance of viewing the aurora borealis is between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time, the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center states. People interested in viewing should get away from city lights and light pollution for a better chance at seeing them.
The higher the geomagnetic activity, the brighter the aurora is. As July 13 gets closer, the NOAA will monitor the activity and release a forecast of its own.
The northern lights in 17 states:Here’s where you might view them next week.
What states may be able to see the northern lights next week?
Here are the other states that may see the northern lights next week:
- Alaska
- Indiana
- Montana
- South Dakota
- Minnesota
- Wisconsin
- Michigan
- Maine
- Maryland
- New York
- New Hampshire
- Washington
- Vermont
- Idaho
- Oregon
- Wyoming
When was the last major northern light even in the U.S.?
The possibility of seeing the northern lights comes after a geomagnetic storm, the last being late April, when the aurora borealis shone above 30 U.S. states. Lights appeared in parts of Iowa, North Dakota, Kansas and more.
What are the northern lights?
The northern lights, also called the aurora borealis, are an astronomical phenomenon in the Northern and Southern hemispheres where colored lights are visible in the night sky.
While they are more frequent closer to the North and South poles, they have been seen closer to the Equator. They can be viewed by looking in the direction of the closest pole (north in the Northern Hemisphere and south in the Southern Hemisphere), according to the Library of Congress.
What causes the northern lights?
The natural phenomenon is usually caused by solar winds coming from the sun and Earth’s magnetic field, according to the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center.
Contributing: Kate Perez.
Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @mikesnider.
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