Amid solar maximum, northern lights should flourish: How to see auroras across US

Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY

November 1, 2024 at 11:05 AM

Aurora chasers fixing to catch a sight of the famed aurora borealis don't need to worry about traveling all the way to Alaska, the state known for being among the best places in North America to witness the hues of green and red.

In the months ahead, the famed celestial display better known as the northern lights could be coming to a sky near you - if it hasn't already. Now that the sun has officially reached its solar maximum, per NASA, skygazers across the world should expect the auroras to blanket the night sky more often across the northern hemisphere.

So, how does the sun influence a phenomenon best seen when it's nowhere to be found? It all has to do with solar flares, geomagnetic storms and some pretty cool interactions in Earth's atmosphere.

Here's everything to know about the northern lights and how to see them now that the sun has reached its solar maximum.

Northern lights to peak: The sun is now in its solar maximum, meaning more aurora activity

What is the solar maximum?

The sun, and the intense magnetic activity it generates that causes the northern lights, waxes and wanes on an 11-year-long solar cycle. The peak of activity - the solar maximum - occurs when the sun's north and south magnetic poles flip.

When that happens, the sun "transitions from being calm to an active and stormy state," NASA said in an October news release.

NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration track sunspots - the source of solar eruptions - to predict the progress of a solar cycle and the solar activity it fuels.

Now that the agencies have determined that the sun has reached the zenith of Solar Cycle 25, sunspots located in regions of intense magnetic activity should increase. When that magnetic activity is released, it creates intense bursts of radiation resulting in solar flares - considered by NASA to be our solar system's largest explosive events.

Solar flares emit radiation, mostly in the form of ultraviolet light and X-rays, that can hurtle toward Earth at the speed of light. Some of these flares can be accompanied by coronal mass ejections, or clouds of plasma and charged particles, that emerge from the sun's outermost atmosphere, the corona.

These ejections can collide with Earth's magnetosphere, the barrier protecting humanity from the harshest impacts of space weather, to produce geomagnetic storms.

More geomagnetic storms may spark northern lights to appear

That may sound scary, and due to the elevated risk for things like disrupted satellite signals, radio communications, internet and electrical power grids, it could be.

But the heightened potential for more geomagnetic storms also may mean more impressive northern lights displays.

Early in October, Americans from the northern U.S. and even as far south as Alabama had a chance to witness the striking rays, spirals and flickers of the norther lights, which was amplified when a solar coronal mass ejection of plasma clouds and charged particles drove a geomagnetic storm toward Earth. The storm was so strong that it prompted NOAA to issue a rare G4 geomagnetic storm watch for the second time this year.

The first came in May, when a powerful geomagnetic storm was responsible for some reports of power grid irregularities and interference with GPS signals - even farming equipment. On the bright side, it did also unleash spectacular views of the northern lights in parts of the country where auroras are not often visible.

That particular storm watch was the first NOAA released in 19 years for a geomagnetic storm classified as a G4 - a single level away from being the most severe solar storm possible. Amid the solar activity, the sun even emitted an explosive burst of radiation that became the largest solar flare detected since 2017, according to the NOAA.

The phenomenon, which has made several recent appearances across the U.S. was also notably visible again in August during the Perseids, considered among astronomers to be the best meteor shower of the year.

What's more, because NASA anticipates the solar maximum to continue into 2025, aurora chasers should have plenty more opportunities to catch the northern lights.

What causes the auroras?

The auroras are a natural light display in Earth's sky that are famously best seen in high-latitude regions of the northern and southern hemispheres.

The phenomenon is caused when electrically charged particles from space enter Earth's atmosphere and collide with molecules and gasses like oxygen and nitrogen, causing the atmospheric particles to gain energy. To return to their normal state, the particles release that energy in the form of light, according to the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, Geophysical Institute website, which tracks the phenomenon.

As auroras form, Earth's magnetic field redirects the particles toward the poles through a process that produces a stunning display of rays, spirals and flickers that has fascinated humans for millennia. Whether hues of green, red, blue and even pink dance about in the sky is due to altitude in which the collisions occur, as well as the composition and density of the atmosphere at the time.

Where and when can the northern lights be seen?

The solar storms send particles flowing from the sun that get caught up in Earth's magnetic field, causing colorful auroras to form as they interact with molecules of atmospheric gases. In the months ahead, the resulting glowing auroras may be quite a sight to see - if you look up at the right place and time.

The auroras are best seen around the magnetic poles of the northern and southern hemispheres in places like Europe, Asia and North America. In the U.S., Alaska is well known to have the best viewing opportunities for the northern lights.

Even though conditions are prime for more impending aurora shows, experts have long struggled to accurately forecast exactly when and where the phenomenon will ever occur. Even the best predictions can only accurately be made a few days or even hours in advance.

NOAA, however, does maintain an aurora dashboard that should help skygazers track the phenomenon.

And if it looks like the northern lights will flare up near you, it's advised to get away from cities and travel to dark locations free from light pollution. If the weather is clear, the best aurora is usually visible within an hour or two of midnight, according to NOAA.

Contributing: Max Hauptman, USA TODAY

A version of this story was last published Oct. 1.

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Northern lights should flourish amid solar maximum: How to see auroras