According to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration projection, there may be a chance to view aurora borealis Monday night in parts of the northern U.S., and there will probably be additional chances in the upcoming weeks as solar activity approaches its peak. (View the most recent prediction for Tuesday.)

On a scale of nine, NOAA predicts that Monday night’s Kp index will be four, which means that, for those in the appropriate locations, the northern lights will “become brighter” and be quite pleasant to view.

 

NOAA predicts that Tuesday will see less auroral activity, with the Kp index tomorrow at 1, which indicates that the aurora will be “far north” and “quite dim in intensity.”

 

Last week, NASA and NOAA officials predicted that more solar flares would soon occur, causing the Earth’s geomagnetic field to interact with them and produce more aurora borealis.

 

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WHERE CAN I SEE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS?

While northern Canada and Alaska provide better chances of witnessing the northern lights, states nearer the Canadian border will have a lower likelihood. NOAA says there will be an opportunity to observe aurora borealis in parts of Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, and Maine. A portion of northern Minnesota will have a low chance on Tuesday.

If you want to see the northern lights between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time, NOAA advises going to a high vantage point away from light pollution.

HOW CAN I GET THE BEST PHOTOGRAPHY OF THE NORTHERN LIGHTS?

Adobe states that in order to catch the northern lights, it is preferable to use a wide aperture, low shutter speed, high ISO value, and the farthest focus setting on a standard camera. Visit Iceland, Iceland’s travel website, advises using a smartphone and switching to night mode with a slower shutter speed.

ESSENTIAL HISTORY

According to NASA, as solar activity rises in the next few weeks, there will probably be more chances to witness the northern lights. NOAA’s director of space weather observations, Elsayed Talaat, stated that more sunspots will cause “high-impact” space weather because the sun’s 11-year cycle, or Solar Cycle 25, is at its peak. This includes an increase in coronal mass ejections, which pull the aurora borealis farther south and cause geomagnetic storms to sweep over Earth. According to NASA, the peak will last until 2025 and maybe into the first part of 2026.