Northern lights could light up skies across 22 US states tonight: How to watch

The autumn equinox has officially arrived bringing lighter or more intense hues. A stream of solar wind could head our way to bringing an aurora glow.

On late Wednesday, this is expected to stir Earth’s magnetic field between late Wednesday, September 23 into early Thursday 24, offering a glimpse of the aurora borealis across the northern tier of the United States.

The northern lights are a result of geomagnetic storms which occur when charged particles from the sun collide with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere. The northern lights will be visible from late Wednesday through the pre-dawn hours of Thursday, September 24. NOAA forecasters expect solar activity to increase chances for G-1 level geomagnetic storm conditions arriving early tomorrow as it intensifies the high-speed solar wind stream.

It is visible from dark locations near the Canadian border particularly Alaska and northern portions of Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire.

It is crucial to find a viewing spot that is dark with unpolluted night skies. For those using a smartphone device, switch to night mode and hold the camera resting it on something stable. Furthermore, it is better to adjust your device settings and tap the Night Mode option to adjust the exposure duration.