How to Watch the Northern Lights in The U.S. Tonight

Heads up, sky-watchers!

If you thought the Labor Day weekend fun was over, you’re in luck: the sky has one last surprise in store, as the northern lights put on another colorful show tonight.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), a coronal mass ejection left the sun on Aug. 30 and is expected to reach Earth late in the evening on Sept. 1 and into early Sept. 2.

Northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, occur when solar activity, such as solar flares or coronal mass ejections, triggers magnetic storms. These storms trigger interactions between the Earth’s magnetic field and charged particles from the sun, resulting in the stunning colors that light up the sky.

Tonight’s aurora display is a result of a powerful coronal mass ejection (CME) — a very large cloud of charged solar plasma and magnetic field launched from the sun — that erupted over the weekend from sunspot AR4199, per Space.com.

Tamitha Skov, Space weather physicist, also noted that there are two solar storms directly toward Earth, with one potentially catching up with the other.

“The NOAA model run includes the two Earth-directed #solarstorm launches. The larger one catches up with the smaller one just ahead of Earth so a precursor disturbance may indeed ramp up before the larger storm hits. Impact is expected by late September 1. G2+ conditions possible,” Skov wrote on X.

This kind of interaction is known as a “cannibal CME,” where one CME overtakes another. According to NASA, CMEs blast into space a billion tons of particles traveling millions of miles an hour.

Solar researchers believe that cannibal CMEs are a source of “complex ejecta” CME clouds, which are larger and more complex in terms of structure when compared to typical CMEs.

Ready to close out the holiday with a cosmic spectacle? Read on for how, when and where to catch a glimpse of tonight’s northern lights show.

When will the northern lights be visible?

As a result of a fast-moving coronal mass ejection — launched by a long-duration M2.7 flare from sunspot AR 4199 on Aug. 30, per NOAA — Earth is bracing for a G2 (moderate) to G3 (strong) geomagnetic storm, with the possibility of briefly reaching G4 (severe) levels.

This surge in solar activity could trigger auroras late in the evening on Sept. 1 through the early morning hours of Sept. 2, painting the night sky with brilliant colors.

Where will the northern lights be visible?

With severe solar storms, auroras may be visible much farther south than usual, potentially reaching into mid-latitude states, and even lower latitudes depending on the strength of the storm.

According to Space.com, the U.S. states most likely to see the northern lights are Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Maine, South Dakota, Vermont, New Hampshire, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, New York, Wyoming, Iowa, Nebraska and Illinois.

How to watch the northern lights?

In addition to their sheer radiance, auroras are especially captivating because of their unpredictability. Even if you’re within the potential viewing zone, visibility depends on clear skies, minimal pollution, and having an open view facing north skies.

Pro tip: bring a camera or tripod and give your eyes time to adjust to the darkness. Sometimes the colors appear faint to the naked eye, but appear vivid in photos.

How to take photos of the northern lights?

To photograph the northern lights, you’ll want to keep your setup steady as the aurora is best captured with long exposures.

The good news is that most smartphones have a high-tech capability to capture the breathtaking phenomenon on camera if you head to your settings and hit the “Night Mode” option on your phone.