Easter eggs may not be the only things painted pink, blue, and green this weekend—the Northern Lights are expected to brighten the sky beginning on Good Friday and possibly lasting through Saturday.
Videos by InspireMore
Geomagnetic storms have been hitting the sun since Thursday, which has been priming Earth’s magnetic field for the aurora borealis. Tonight (April 3) offers the best possibility to see the Northern Lights, but conditions may help them linger throughout the weekend. The NOAA expects a high-speed stream of solar wind to hit Earth’s magnetic field today and a coronal mass ejection (CME) to follow on Saturday. Both offer prime conditions for auroras.
The Northern Lights Will Move South if Conditions Intensify
States with the highest chance of seeing a show are Alaska and the northern parts of Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Maine. However, if stronger geomagnetic storms push through, people living in Oregon, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire could also spot the Northern Lights, according to Forbes.
Unfortunately, it’s impossible to predict exactly what time the auroras could form because forecasters do not know the speed of the solar winds or if the CME will hit Earth directly. So, to ensure you don’t miss them, it’s best to download a Northern Lights app or watch the 30-minute Aurora forecast on the NOAA website.
You can find this story’s feature image here.
Want to be happier in just 5 minutes a day? Sign up for Morning Smile and join over 455,000+ people who start each day with good news.
