The sun is throwing a tantrum, and if you live in the far north, you might get to watch
Once every eleven years, the sun reaches a crescendo of activity, and tonight that ancient rhythm makes itself visible to those who live beneath the northern sky. A minor geomagnetic storm, born from solar flares earlier this week, is expected to drape the aurora borealis across Alaska and the northernmost tier of the continental United States. It is a reminder that even in an age of satellites and forecasts, the cosmos still arrives unannounced at our doorstep, asking only that we step outside and look up.
- The sun, near the peak of its 11-year cycle, unleashed strong solar flares this week, sending charged particles on a collision course with Earth's magnetic field.
- A G1 geomagnetic storm — minor in classification but striking in effect — is pushing the aurora's reach deep into the continental U.S., well beyond its usual Arctic domain.
- Alaska sits in the highest-probability red zone, but residents of Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Michigan all have a genuine shot at witnessing the display.
- The viewing window is tight: between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time, away from city lights and ideally from elevated ground.
- Friday night may offer a faint encore at lower intensity, but the current storm is expected to ease by the weekend as solar conditions gradually settle.
The sun is in a restless mood, and Thursday night, that restlessness becomes visible. A minor geomagnetic storm is sweeping through Earth's upper atmosphere, and NOAA forecasts the aurora borealis will be visible across the northernmost United States — the result of solar flares earlier this week sending charged particles crashing into our planet's magnetic field.
The storm registers as a G1 on NOAA's scale, but the Kp index of 4 means the lights will reach well beyond the Arctic Circle. Alaska has the highest likelihood of viewing, sitting in NOAA's red zone, while parts of Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Michigan also stand a real chance. The best window falls between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time — dark skies and higher ground will make the difference.
The broader backdrop matters here. The sun is approaching its solar maximum, the most active phase of its 11-year cycle, and it has been exceeding scientists' expectations throughout. The May storms produced auroras some researchers believe were the strongest in five centuries. Tonight's event is quieter by comparison, but it belongs to the same extraordinary chapter.
Friday night may still offer some aurora activity at a lower Kp level of 3, though fainter and less widespread. For anyone willing to stay up late and seek out dark skies, tonight is a rare invitation — the sun's energy translated into something ancient and luminous, written across the northern horizon.
The sun is throwing a tantrum, and if you live in the far north, you might get to watch the show. Thursday night, a minor geomagnetic storm is expected to sweep across Earth's upper atmosphere, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the aurora borealis could paint the sky across a swath of the northernmost United States.
The trigger is solar activity. Earlier this week, the sun unleashed strong solar flares—the kind of violent outbursts that send charged particles racing toward Earth. When those particles collide with our planet's magnetic field, they create the dancing curtains of light we call the northern lights. Tonight's event is rated a G1 on NOAA's geomagnetic storm scale, which runs from 0 to 9. That's minor, but don't let the classification fool you. The Kp index—a measure of how far from the poles the aurora becomes visible—is forecast to hit 4, which means the lights won't be confined to the Arctic Circle. They'll be "quite pleasing to look at," according to NOAA's own language, and visible well into the continental United States.
Alaska stands the best chance. The state sits in what NOAA calls the red zone on its aurora forecast map, meaning high likelihood of visibility. But the show won't stop there. Parts of Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Michigan are all in the running. Even South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Maine have a shot, though the odds drop considerably the farther south you go. The window is narrow: the lights will be best between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time, and you'll need to get away from city lights and find high ground to see them clearly.
What makes this moment notable is the broader context. The sun is in the midst of its solar maximum—the most violent and active phase of its 11-year cycle. We're not talking about a quiet star. In May, solar storms hit Earth with a force scientists hadn't seen in two decades, producing auroras so intense that some researchers believe they may have been the strongest in 500 years. The current solar cycle, which began in December 2019, has consistently surprised scientists by exceeding their predictions for activity. NOAA expects this heightened solar behavior to continue for at least another year.
Thursday night's storm is forecast to weaken as the week progresses. Friday night may still offer aurora viewing in some northern states, but at a Kp level of 3—fainter, less expansive. By the weekend, the forecast suggests conditions will settle down. Still, for anyone with a camera and a willingness to stay up late, tonight offers a legitimate chance to capture something rare: the sun's fury made visible to the naked eye, translated into light that has captivated humans since before we had words for it.
Notable Quotes
The northern lights can be viewed further from the poles and can be quite pleasing to look at— National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does the sun's activity follow an 11-year cycle? Is that just how stars work?
It's specific to how the sun's magnetic field operates. The field builds up, gets tangled, releases energy in violent eruptions, then starts building again. We've been tracking it for centuries, but we still don't fully understand why it's exactly 11 years.
And right now we're at the peak of that cycle?
Yes. Solar maximum. Which means we're in the window where these storms are most likely. The May storms were genuinely shocking—stronger than anyone predicted. Scientists are still trying to understand why this cycle has been so much more active than expected.
If I'm in, say, Minnesota, what are my actual odds of seeing this tonight?
Real, but not guaranteed. You're in the secondary zone, not the red zone like Alaska. You'd need clear skies, no moon, no light pollution. Get north if you can. A high vantage point helps. But it's not a sure thing.
Can you really photograph it with a phone?
Yes, but not the way you normally take pictures. No flash, night mode on, lower shutter speed. The camera needs time to gather light. It's not as dramatic as what your eye sees, but it works.
How long will this keep happening?
The solar maximum could persist for another year or more. So there will be more chances. But each individual storm is unpredictable. Tonight might be it, or there might be a bigger one next month. That's part of what makes it worth staying up for.