Northern lights may be visible in parts of the U.S. this Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving may be cool and rainy for many in the U.S., but thanks to a recent solar storm, some lucky individuals may have the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the northern lights. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting minor to moderate geomagnetic storms on Thursday and Friday, which could result in auroras lighting up the skies in states such as Washington, Montana, the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Maine. There is also a chance that those in northern parts of Idaho, Wyoming, New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire could see the aurora borealis as well. The best viewing times are expected to be Thursday evening into early Friday. The NOAA’s Aurora Dashboard provides the latest activity and forecasts for the northern lights, including maps of where they will be visible and tools that estimate their intensity. While some areas may have limitations due to cloudiness, viewing opportunities are still possible. This event is not expected to cause major disruptions to communications systems, unless the solar storms turn out to be stronger than predicted. The northern lights are created when solar storms send charged particles into Earth’s magnetic field, interacting with the atmosphere to produce radiant auroras. The sun is currently in an active phase of its 11-year cycle, with an expected peak next July, leading to more frequent appearances of the northern lights.

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