Solar storm expected to make Northern Lights visible in 17 states next week

Thanks to a solar storm happening this coming week, the Northern Lights are expected to be visible in 17 US states.

For those who have seen the lights, also known as aurora borealis, they'll confess it is likely one of the greatest things they have ever witnessed.

But for those of us who haven't seen them, we can always look a stunning photos of the lights, like the one captured by a student earlier this year.

It is really not the same though is it? With those who live or travel to Alaska, Canada and Scandinavia most likely to see the Northern Lights.

But that is expected to change on Thursday (13 July), thanks to an 11-year solar cycle that is expected to peak in 2024.

This cycle is making the lights visible in places further south, with the amazing spectacle seen in Arizona three months ago, which marked the third severe geomagnetic storm since the current solar cycle began in 2019.

Now, the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks has forecasted that as a result of a solar storm, the Northern Lights will likely be visible in a bunch of US states.

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Those states are: Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Indiana, Maine and Maryland.

The stunning light displays are also set to be visible overhead in Milwaukee, Minneapolis and Helena, Montana, while the institute predicts it will be low on the horizon in Salem, Oregon, Boise, Idaho, Cheyenne, Wyoming, Annapolis, Maryland, and Indianapolis.

For any Canadians, the forecast has been predicted in a bunch of locations, including Vancouver.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center said that people wanting to get a glimpse of the Northern Lights should escape the city lights first.

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So, if you are in a big city, heading to the countryside may be your best bet.

As for time, your best hope is of course going to be during dark, in particular, between 10pm and 2am local time.

So, if you are heading out to work the next morning, that may be a bit of a stumbling block - though, one tiring day at work will surely be worth it after seeing the Northern Lights in action.

As for how bright the light will be in the sky, the Geophysical Institute has forecast Kp 6 for the storm. The index ranks auroral activity on a scale from zero to nine, with zero being very low in activeness, while nine is being bright and active.