While we’ve already seen spectacular images of the aurora borealis in 2024, the good news is that there will be more opportunities next year. Because the sun is at solar maximum. The next light show may take place on Saturday, November 9, due to the solar flare that launched earlier this week.

Light show tonight may not light up the sky like some Auroras seen earlier this yearbut it should still be a good show for some people in the US.

Now, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration makes predictions It is stated that Aurora borealis can be seen in the northernmost states of the USA. These states include:

• Idaho
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Montana
• north dakota
• south dakota
• washington
• Wisconsin

Residents of Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire may also get lucky tonight. NOAA says the geomagnetic storm that caused this example of the northern lights was around a G1 or G2 storm, which is on the lower end of the spectrum.

Read more: You Can Catch a Meteor Shower Almost Every Night for the Rest of the Year

This aurora borealis comes courtesy of a coronal mass ejection NOAA detected on November 7. The solar flare that started it was measured as an M3 class flare, which was on the weaker side. But enough will hit Earth to push the northern lights a little further south than they normally go. Since the storm is expected to last for several days, there is a chance that the northern lights will reach a little further south than expected. So even if you’re slightly outside NOAA’s forecast area, it doesn’t hurt to take a look. You can do I even see a meteor from the meteor shower.

The M3-class flare arrives just one day after the much larger, more powerful X2.3-class flare was detonated. Detected on November 6. This flare caused some radio frequency problems but did not result in a more active aurora borealis. If this flare had hit the Earth squarely, it would have dragged the aurora borealis much further south. Recent sightings of the northern lights illuminating half of the United States It came from an X1.8 class flare.

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Aurora borealis is caused by coronal mass ejections from the sun interacting with the geomagnetic field on Earth. The interaction of solar material and radiation with the Earth’s magnetic field causes the sky to be beautifully illuminated. The stronger and more intense the coronal mass ejection, the more intense the aurora borealis. It’s on the lower half of the scale, as it extends into the northern United States, but it’s still more than what would normally be visible.

How can I see Aurora borealis?

If you are in the area where the northern lights will be, get away from light pollution as much as possible and just look towards the northern sky. Light pollution makes it much more difficult to see the aurora borealis, especially in southern locations where the aurora will be weakest. The darker the sky, the better.

Read more: See These Stunning Northern Lights Photos from Aurora Watchers

Photographing the Aurora is a bit trickier, especially on a smartphone. To get the best results, you’ll want to increase the exposure time as much as possible by pointing the phone at the sky and turning on night mode. The further north you go, the better your results will be.