It could be a colorful night sky for more than half of millions of people in the northern U.S. as the aurora borealis, or northern lights, could make an appearance in more than half of the country.
The possibility of seeing the dazzling display comes after the sun had a solar flare erupt on Friday that was directed toward Earth, according to the NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center. As a result, 30 states will have the chance to see the the aurora borealis, stretching from Washington to Maine, and as far south as Kansas, the Space Weather Prediction Center says, as long as weather conditions permit.
“All in all, you can anticipate good conditions for auroral displays,” EarthSky said.
Where will the northern lights appear?
The northern lights will be possible to see in 30 states, depending on weather conditions like cloud coverage.
“Aurora viewing is likely in the United States tonight as Earth is impacted by a strong solar storm. The most favorable cloud conditions look to be over the Midwest, Plains and parts of the Great Lakes and less favorable conditions in the Northeast and Northwest,” the Space Weather Prediction Center said.
Here’s the states where it’ll be possible to see the northern lights Sunday night:
- Washington
- Oregon
- Idaho
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Utah
- Colorado
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Nebraska
- Kansas
- Minnesota
- Iowa
- Missouri
- Wisconsin
- Illinois
- Michigan
- Indiana
- Ohio
- Kentucky
- West Virginia
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Massachusetts
- Connecticut
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- New Hampshire
- Maine
What time will the northern lights appear?
The NOAA says the best time to see the northern lights is between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time. At that time, officials advise people to get away from city lights to see the the aurora borealis.