Northern lights in US: Colourful auroras to light up skies in America, know when and where to watch

The aurora borealis or the northern lights is poised to be visible across parts of 17 US states, especially in those which are situated close to the Canadian border.

Aurora displays are visible commonly near the North and South poles, where charged particles from the sun interact with Earth's atmosphere. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)

A strong solar storm headed to Earth could produce colourful auroras in the United States on Wednesday night, according to the National Weather Service’s Space Weather Prediction Center.

“The aurora may become visible over many of the northern states and some of the lower Midwest to Oregon,” NWS said as per CNN.

Space weather forecaster issued a geomagnetic storm watch earlier this week, after the Sun burped out huge bursts of energy called coronal mass ejections. An AP report stated that the strength of aurora light show would depend on how Earth’s magnetic field interacts with the solar bursts.

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The northern lights appear through a little bit of cloud cover in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen).

What are Northern Lights?

The sun, which is at the maximum phase of its 11 year cycle, raises solar activity which causes auroras that dance around Earth’s poles and it is known as northern lights, or aurora borealis, and southern lights, or aurora australis.

The energized particles of coronal mass ejection, upon reaching the Earth’s magnetic field, interact with gases in the atmosphere, in order to create colourful lights in the sky.

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Aurora displays are visible commonly near the North and South poles, where charged particles from the sun interact with Earth’s atmosphere.

When and Where to watch Northern Lights in the US?

Since the strong geomagnetic storm reached the Earth on Tuesday, after the Sun released coronal mass ejection on Sunday, the storm had reached G4, or severe, storm conditions at 4:55 pm on Wednesday (local time).

The northern lights could be visible late Tuesday and Wednesday nights in parts of Canada and northern United States, according to NOAA.

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The aurora borealis or the northern lights is poised to be visible across parts of 17 US states, especially in those which are situated close to the Canadian border.

Northern lights were forecast in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Parts of northern Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, New York and Pennsylvania may also get a glimpse of it.

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