Topline
The Northern Lights have a moderate chance of performing in parts of the upper middle West, Great Plains and Alaska on Sunday evening to Monday morning – but they could appear even brighter the next evening, since geomagnetic storms increase the likelihood of Aurora formation.
Smaller geomagnetic storms could lead to the lights in the northern US
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Key facts
Prognostics of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast a KP index of three out of nine, which means that the Aurora will continue to move from the poles and look brighter with more movements and formations.
Smaller geomagnetic storms drive the KP index higher, said Noaa, whereby the KP index reaches up to six in the last 24 hours.
In which states could the Aurora see?
In the middle west, North -Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigans Upper Peninsula could see the Aurora formation on Sunday evening, according to the NOAA prediction. Most of North Dakota, Alaska and a large part of Montana were also able to see the lights, while small splinters of extreme northern Idaho and northeastern Washington are also in the viewing line.
What causes the geomagnetic storms?
Prognostics believe that the influence of high -speed flows of the coronal hole causes more geomagnetic storms. According to Noaa, coronal holes are “cooler, less dense” regions of the sun that have unipolar magnetic fields. Solar winds escape from these regions and travel in fast streams. If you interact with the earth's magnetosphere, you can create visual phenomenon such as the northern lights or cause geomagnetic storms.
What is the best time to see the northern lights?
Within two hours after midnight according to Noaa. The Aurora is the most active between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., say prognostics, but could appear in the evening and morning hours outside of this four -hour window. In order to have the best chance to take a look at the northern lights, the spectators of cities or other sources of light pollution should move out and move closer to the magnetic north pole of the earth.
What you should pay attention to
The expected KP index of tomorrow evening is four, which means that the lights over Northern Alaska and large parts of Canada are high probabilities.