05/17/2026
Skywatchers, look up! www.HOOKdhomes.com
The northern lights could soon appear much farther south than usual across parts of the United States.
According to NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, a fast-moving stream of solar wind flowing from a massive coronal hole in the Sun’s atmosphere may trigger geomagnetic storm conditions through the weekend.
If conditions align, auroras could become visible across parts of the northern US, including Alaska, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Maine.
The best viewing window is expected between about 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. EDT.
The incoming solar wind is expected to generate a G1 geomagnetic storm — considered a minor storm on NOAA’s space weather scale. But even relatively weak geomagnetic storms can occasionally push auroras farther south than normal.
Auroras happen when charged particles from the Sun slam into Earth’s magnetic field and interact with gases in the upper atmosphere, producing glowing curtains of green, purple, and red light.
This event is being driven by a coronal hole, a darker region of the Sun where magnetic field lines open outward into space, allowing high-speed solar wind to escape more easily.
Scientists caution that auroras are notoriously unpredictable. Visibility depends on cloud cover, local light pollution, atmospheric conditions, and how strongly Earth’s magnetic field reacts to the incoming solar wind.
Even if the lights aren’t easily visible to the naked eye, smartphone cameras can sometimes capture faint auroras surprisingly well.
For the best chance of seeing them, experts recommend heading somewhere dark with a clear northern horizon shortly after sunset.
Learn more:
NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center See less
