This storm originates from a coronal mass ejection from the sun \u2014 a massive burst of solar material sometimes referred to as a CME. In this case, one CME is expected to overtake another, amplifying the effect in what scientists describe as a \u201ccannibal CME<\/a>.\u201d <\/a><\/p>\n We\u2019ve entered the peak of Solar Cycle 25, an 11-year rhythm of solar activity. NOAA says this active stretch will last into 2026, boosting chances for auroral activity to creep farther south.<\/p>\n Aurora watchers should monitor the planetary K-index (Kp)<\/a> \u2014 NOAA\u2019s global measure of geomagnetic activity. The index runs from 0 (quiet) to 9 (extreme). Kp values of 6 or 7 correspond to the G2\u2013G3 storm warning scale, and when sustained at those levels, the auroral oval can dip into northern U.S. latitudes, \u2014including Oregon. <\/a><\/p>\n For the best odds of spotting the lights, head outside between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. Pacific time, under clear, dark skies with an unobstructed view to the north. Locations such as the Columbia River Gorge, Hood River, and elevated areas east of Portland are ideal vantage points. <\/a><\/p>\n Photographers hoping to capture the display will need long exposures between two and eight seconds. If your lens allows, set the focus to infinity. Smartphone apps can provide manual control of aperture, shutter speed and ISO. <\/p>\n During longer exposures, the camera must remain completely still, so use a tripod or solid surface. To avoid shake when pressing the shutter, use the timer option available on most cameras and phones. If your smartphone has a \u201cnight\u201d or \u201caurora\u201d setting, you\u2019re ready to go. Most importantly, experiment with different ISOs and shutter speeds to capture the look you want.<\/p>\n Bottom line: <\/b>If you\u2019re in northern Oregon and the skies stay clear, Monday night is one of the year\u2019s strongest opportunities to watch the northern lights spill south. Get away from city lights, look north, and hope the sun delivers.<\/p>\n \u2014 Mark Graves, The Oregonian | OregonLive \tmgraves@oregonian.com<\/p>\n If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A powerful solar flare is set to unleash a geomagnetic storm tonight, potentially pushing the aurora borealis far…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":192915,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[159,4540,783,9877,67,132,68,313],"class_list":{"0":"post-192914","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-space","8":"tag-science","9":"tag-sky","10":"tag-space","11":"tag-spring","12":"tag-united-states","13":"tag-unitedstates","14":"tag-us","15":"tag-weather"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115132174487862067","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192914","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=192914"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192914\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/192915"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=192914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=192914"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=192914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Map](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IYBOGFZHTBEJDNNZTEAJOUCFBE.jpeg\")
A coronal mass ejection will make the northern lights visible to some in the contiguous U.S. on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025.Courtesy NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center<\/p>\n