A strong geomagnetic storm will make the northern lights visible in many U.S. states on New Year’s Eve.
According to the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the G3 (strong) geomagnetic storm will make the northern lights visible in 18 U.S. states, as far south as Iowa and Wisconsin.
Why It Matters
The northern lights are one of the most spectacular natural phenomena on our planet and commonly occur within the so-called “Aurora Zone,” which covers Iceland, southern Greenland, and the northern parts of Sweden, Finland, Norway, Russia, and Alaska.
In 2024, an uptick in solar activity made northern lights visibility reach a 500-year peak, according to NASA, bringing auroras to stargazers in unexpected places far from the Arctic Circle, including Germany, the U.K and New York City.
What To Know
The aurora will be most visible in the northernmost regions of the United States, including Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Michigan.
Several other states, like Oregon, Wyoming, Nebraska, Illinois, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, could fall within the southern reach of the northern lights’ visibility.
The NOAA advises that the optimal period for observing the aurora is from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. local time. But if you don’t get to see the aurora on New Year’s Eve, it may also be visible on New Year’s Day or January 2, with the geomagnetic storm expected to last around three days.
According to the NOAA, distancing yourself from light pollution offers a better chance of witnessing the aurora.
Viewers will also benefit from Monday’s “Black Moon”—the second new moon in a month —which will keep the night sky exceptionally dark overnight.
The NOAA is monitoring this week’s solar storms for possible minor disruptions to high-frequency radio communications, which are used by airlines and amateur radio operators.
The northern and southern lights can be triggered by geomagnetic storms, which are disruptions to the Earth’s magnetic field caused by coronal mass ejections of solar plasma from the sun.
Every 11 years, the sun’s magnetic field reaches solar maximum, and this is when the CMEs interact with the Earth’s magnetosphere, a protective magnetic field that surrounds our planet, sparking a geomagnetic storm.
Geomagnetic storms vary in strength depending on the CME’s speed and magnetic field and are classed on a scale of G1 (minor) to G5 (extreme). The stronger the geomagnetic storm, the further south the northern lights are visible.
What People Are Saying
The NOAA said: “A G3 (Strong) geomagnetic storm watch is in effect for Dec. 31, with a G1 (Minor) watch for Jan. These are in anticipation of a pair of Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CME). The G1 Watch for Jan. 1 is being considered for upgrade to a G2 Watch.”
The Space Weather Prediction Center says the best time to view the aurora borealis is just after sunset or just before sunrise. The aurora is not visible during daylight hours.
“The aurora does not need to be directly overhead but can be observed from as far as 1,000 km (621 miles) away when the aurora is bright and if conditions are right,” it added.
The Space Weather Prediction Center also advises that to have a better chance of seeing the phenomenon, people should get away from city lights into a “dark, rural surrounding” and look north.
What Happens Next
The active period is expected to last for at least another year, meaning there could be more opportunities to see the northern lights in 2025, even for more southern locations.
The post Where To See the Northern Lights Tonight on New Year’s Eve appeared first on Newsweek.
