{"id":141604,"date":"2025-05-29T14:23:10","date_gmt":"2025-05-29T14:23:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/141604\/"},"modified":"2025-05-29T14:23:10","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T14:23:10","slug":"these-10-states-might-see-aurora-borealis-thursday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/141604\/","title":{"rendered":"These 10 States Might See Aurora Borealis Thursday"},"content":{"rendered":"

Topline<\/p>\n

Several states may have an opportunity to see the northern lights Thursday, after some geomagnetic storm conditions pulled the phenomenon farther south earlier this week, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.<\/p>\n

Geomagnetic storms brought the phenomenon to more states earlier this week. <\/p>\n

Associated Press <\/p>\n

Key Facts<\/p>\n

NOAA forecast<\/a> auroral activity with a Kp index of four on a scale of nine for Thursday night, meaning the northern lights will move farther from the poles and be more active.<\/p>\n

Earlier Thursday morning, NOAA projected a Kp index of six as minor geomagnetic storms disrupted Earth\u2019s atmosphere and likely pulled the northern lights to parts of Oregon, Wyoming, Iowa, New York, New Hampshire and Vermont, among other areas.<\/p>\n

Auroral activity will likely be calmer on Friday and Saturday, with a Kp index of just over three forecast for each day, according to NOAA\u2019s three-day forecast<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Some minor to moderate radio blackouts are also possible, with a slight chance for \u201cstrong\u201d blackout events through Saturday that could disrupt high-frequency radio communications, NOAA said, though broader impacts are unlikely.<\/p>\n

Where Will The Northern Lights Be Visible?<\/p>\n

A higher chance of visibility is forecast across northern Canada and Alaska, while a lesser likelihood is expected in parts of Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota and Upper Michigan. An even lower chance to see the northern lights is forecast for parts of Washington, Idaho, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Maine. (See map below.)<\/p>\n

Thursday’s view line.<\/p>\n

NOAA <\/p>\n

What\u2019s The Best Way To See The Northern Lights?<\/p>\n

NOAA suggests traveling between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. to a north-facing, high vantage point away from light pollution to observe the northern lights.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s The Best Way To Photograph The Northern Lights?<\/p>\n

Photography experts told National Geographic a tripod and a wide-angle lens are best for capturing the northern lights. An aperture or F-stop of four or less and a focus set to the furthest possible setting are also recommended. With a smartphone, NOAA suggests turning on night mode and disabling flash.<\/p>\n

Key Background<\/p>\n

The northern lights have been increasingly visible to more people in the U.S. since October 2024, when NASA and NOAA said activity on the sun\u2019s surface achieved a \u201csolar maximum.\u201d This peak comes throughout the sun\u2019s 11-year cycle and matches a \u201csolar minimum,\u201d indicating a corresponding rise and decline in solar events like solar flares and coronal mass ejections. These events produce the colorful, swirling displays of the aurora borealis as they disrupt Earth\u2019s geomagnetic field. Electrons collide with oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the Earth\u2019s atmosphere and become \u201cexcited\u201d before releasing energy in the form of light. A \u201csolar maximum\u201d is expected to persist through early 2026, NOAA and NASA said.<\/p>\n

Further ReadingForbesNorthern Lights Displays Hit A 500-Year Peak In 2024\u2014Here\u2019s Where You Could Catch Aurora Borealis In 2025By Ty Roush<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Topline Several states may have an opportunity to see the northern lights Thursday, after some geomagnetic storm conditions…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":141605,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3844],"tags":[6306,8134,874,8135,6623,70,413,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-141604","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-space","8":"tag-aurora","9":"tag-aurora-borealis","10":"tag-nasa","11":"tag-noaa","12":"tag-northern-lights","13":"tag-science","14":"tag-space","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114591577313286778","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141604"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141604\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141605"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}