The northern lights may be visible over some U.S. states if a geomagnetic storm watch is issued for Monday and Tuesday. The space weather prediction center observed a mass ejection from the sun on Saturday, which is expected to cause a storm. The general public doesn't need to be worried, according to the Space Weather Prediction Service, as watches of this level for geomagnetic storms are not uncommon. Aurora lovers, it could be a great year for the northern lights due to the solar maximum.
There are some places in the U.S. where you can see the Aurora. Alaska has a high chance of seeing the Aurora, but other states may also see it. According to the Space Weather Prediction Center's forecast for Monday, the view line could make them visible in 17 states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota. The Aurora Zone states that the sun's activity, cloud cover and solar winds can all affect how likely you are to see the lights. It is possible to see the Aurora a day or two in advance if your area's forecast is clear. The northern lights can be seen from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
The northern lights are not as common in the Lower 48 as they are in the US. The devices can pick up the lights better than the human eye. A geomagnetic storm is caused by a big change in Earth's magnetosphere. There are large solar storms that are associated with the solar mass ejections. The northern lights could be visible over the next few days as a result of a geomagnetic storm. The glow that comes from the collision of electrons from space with atoms in the Earth's upper atmosphere is called an Aurora. The northern lights in the Northern Hemisphere are known as the Aurora borealis, while the southern lights in the Southern Hemisphere are known as the Aurora australis. The Aurora forms around the North and South poles, but can be seen up to 500 kilometers above the Earth's surface.
The sun can cause activity even if you don't see it, because we are approaching the peak of Solar Cycle 25. The elevated activity can last for several years, with space weather events possible in the future.