A burst of solar activity this week may bring the northern lights to parts of the U.S. over the weekend, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center. It comes in the wake of an unexpected G1-rated geomagnetic storm late Thursday, with incoming high-speed solar wind potentially bringing another round of colorful northern skies as the weekend begins and continues through Sunday, Dec. 14.
Northern Lights Tonight: Latest Updates
An M2.0-class solar flare erupted from the sun early Friday, Dec. 12, followed by a smaller M1.1 flare just 40 minutes later. Both were accompanied by a coronal mass ejection (CME) — a cloud of charged particles that travels across the solar system and can interact with Earth’s magnetic field to produce auroras. Scientists are still analyzing whether the CMEs are directed toward Earth.
Northern Lights Alert: What To Expect
Solar wind conditions are expected to intensify late Friday into Saturday as a high-speed stream from a coronal hole reaches Earth. The sun’s corona is its outer atmosphere; a hole is a cooler and less dense region where magnetic field lines are open, allowing charged particles to stream out into space. Wind speeds could climb to around 400 miles (650 kilometers) per second, potentially sparking geomagnetic disturbances in the atmosphere.
To check visibility in real time, use NOAA’s 30-minute aurora forecast, or download apps such as Aurora Now, My Aurora Forecast or Glendale Aurora for up-to-the-minute alerts and live solar wind data — and that critical data on the Bz.
Northern Lights Forecast: Where To See Aurora
The odds are highest for visible auroras at higher latitudes, including across parts of the northern tier of the U.S. — states including Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, and possibly northern Michigan or Maine — especially under clear, dark skies. However, NOAA’s aurora viewline forecast suggests that Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota and Wisconsin could potentially also see faint aurora in the northern sky.
How To Photograph Aurora With A Phone
The latest flagship smartphones are excellent aurora cameras. Switch on Night Mode or Pro Mode. Use the main camera rather than the ultra-wide lens, which typically sacrifices sharpness in low light. Stabilization is critical: mount your phone on a tripod if you have one, or rest it on a solid surface such as a wall, post or even the roof of a car. If your device allows it, shoot in RAW format to give yourself far more flexibility when editing later.
Expect to use exposures of around five to ten seconds. Even when the aurora looks faint or grayish to the naked eye, long exposures often reveal vivid greens, purples and reds that transform the scene.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
