Solar Storms Should Make , Northern Lights , Visible Across the United States.
This week, the northern lights may be visible across 17 states as a powerful solar storm makes dramatic and colorful light displays visible at lower latitudes.
NBC reports that forecasters at the University of Alaska Fairbanks say the lights will be visible in Alaska, Idaho, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, .
Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
According to the university, "highly active auroral displays" should be visible in cities that include Helena, Montana, Montpelier, Vermont and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The university's Geophysical Institute say that the auroras will be best viewed from clear, dark locations.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says that the Northern Lights can be seen from up to 600 miles away in clear conditions.
The agency suggests that skywatchers should choose a location away from city lights, and go “within an hour or two of midnight (between 10 PM and 2 AM local time).”.
NBC reports that the Northern Lights, also referred to as the aurora borealis, are the result of solar storms that eject clouds of charged particles into space.
Those particles interact with Earth's magnetic field, creating colorful neon lights as they collide with atoms and molecules in the upper atmosphere.
Depending on conditions in the atmosphere, lights can appear as shimmering displays of green, pink, blue and purple lights
