Where the Northern Lights Are Visible, and What Causes the Auroras
Aurora alert! In early June 2024, we expect to see colorful, shimmering lights in the night sky. What are the aurora borealis, also called the Northern Lights? What causes them? 蜜桃恋人 astronomer Bob Berman explains.
What Are the Northern Lights?
The aurora borealis, which often appears like dancing ribbons of green and purple in the night sky, originate from the Sun itself!
The stormy, active Sun constantly throws off energized particles from its upper atmosphere. When these particles travel at high speeds toward Earth, our planet鈥檚 upper atmosphere protects us. The particles collide with gases in Earth鈥檚 atmosphere, creating colorful lights in the sky.
Read Next
- In the Northern Hemisphere, the event is called the aurora borealis, which means 鈥渄awn of the North,鈥 or the northern lights.
- In the Southern Hemisphere, it is called the aurora australis, which means 鈥渄awn of the South,鈥 or the southern lights.
2024 Brings the Best Northern Lights in 20 Years
The Sun has weather just like Earth! At times, it is very stormy and ejects more charged particles and solar flares, which are large eruptions of electromagnetic radiation. These create the auroras.
This storminess is especially severe when the Sun is nearing the peak of its 11-year solar cycle and its 鈥solar maximum.鈥 Current Solar Cycle 25 began in December 2019. Experts believe that the Sun may peak in mid- to late 2024. Read more about Solar Cycle 25.
Thanks to the especially stormy Sun, we see auroras more frequently and often more extreme than we have in many years.
See my article about aurora displays forecasted for June 6. 2024!
What Causes the Auroras?
The streams of charged particles that erupt from the Sun鈥檚 surface can travel at speeds of up to a million miles per hour. As strong solar activity enters the Earth鈥檚 magnetic field, the particles (electrons and protons) collide with gases in the upper atmosphere, which causes the gases to glow. As billions of collisions occur in sequence, auroras appear to move or 鈥渄ance鈥 in the sky.
Because of the shape of Earth鈥檚 magnetic field, the charged particles stream towards the poles. This is why auroras are most often seen in the high latitudes near the North and South Poles. They can appear as curtains of light moving across the entire sky and sometimes appear as huge arcs and pillars of color that dance and float through the dark.
Auroras often start with a green glow. You could see shades of green, red, yellow, purple, and blue. The colors depend on the energy level of each gas particle and which gas particles are present. The movement is also beautiful. When the solar winds ripple through the magnetic field, the curtains of light appear to dance, brighten, or fade.
One of the most colorful auroras occurred in March 1989. It was visible in Canada and the United States and as far south as Mexico. The electrical surge that accompanied it was so strong that parts of Canada were blacked out all night!
When Can You See Auroras? When Are the Northern Lights?
While auroras are triggered at any time by strong solar activity, the traditional aurora-watching season is during the weeks before and after the vernal equinox and autumnal equinoxes, when we transition between seasons.
Why? According to, the times around the equinoxes are when the Earth is affected more directly by the Sun鈥檚 geomagnetic storms, which cause disturbances in Earth鈥檚 magnetic field. This seems to be related to the Earth鈥檚 orbit around the Sun and the position of our planet鈥檚 magnetic poles at any given time of year.
The best time of the day to spot auroras is late at night and in the early morning (from 10:00 P.M. to about 3:00 A.M.). Look north on a clear, moonless night from a dark place away from city lights.
Where Can You See the Northern Lights?
Traditionally, the northern lights are most commonly seen at high latitudes. Aurora fans will often travel to Alaska on a tour to see the sights.
However, if you live in Canada or the northern-tier states (Maine, Michigan, etc.), you are likely to see the northern lights from right where you are if you make an effort.
However, in 2024, what鈥檚 exciting is that people are reporting viewings not only in the usual places, such as the northern-tier states and Canada, but also in the Midwest and even lower Midwest. There have even been sightings in southern states down to North Carolina, central California, and even Arizona!
Why is this happening? Again, it鈥檚 all related to the Sun and the solar cycle. The current Solar Cycle 25 is 鈥渉eating up,鈥 which means that the Sun is especially active; this increased activity in the Sun鈥檚 magnetic field will also expand the visibility of the northern lights. When there are massive solar storms (as is more likely near the solar maximum), the lights will appear farther south. Learn more about Solar Cycle 25.
Just get out away from city lights and look up toward the north.
Fun Facts About the Northern Lights
- No two light shows are ever the same.
- The most common colors are green and pink, but the aurora may also appear to be purple, red, blue, or yellow.
- It鈥檚 oxygen in the atmosphere that creates the green light, while nitrogen causes the blue light.
- A single active display can produce one trillion watts of electricity.
- Some people claim that they have heard the northern lights hiss and crackle.
Web sites such as will report on solar explosions and forecast upcoming auroras. also reports solar flare activity. If you have a shortwave or CB radio, hearing disturbances or skips can also a be a telltale sign.
Have you ever seen the northern lights in person? Tell us about your experience in the comments below!
Bob Berman
ADVERTISEMENT
I remember seeing them a couple of times from our back yard in southern Indiana when I was young. This was probably in the early sixties.
I went to college in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan in the early 1970s. When I walked home at night, I used to see the Northern Lights, especially in the Spring. The colors were mostly green.
It was the early 1980s, I was in New York City walking to work. It was early in the morning and the sky suddenly lit up green and purple. The sky colors wavered and rippled. It was beautiful, awesome, strange, and scary all at once. Being from the Deep South all my life and a recent transfer to NYC, I didn't know what the heck was going on until I got to work and everyone was talking about the aurora borealis happening in their piece of the sky that could be seen through the buildings in Manhattan. Everyone was amazed and excited to see one so far south (in NYC).
In honor of my late, beloved friend, David, may you enjoy many aurorae shimmering.
The aurorae are beautiful. In the late 70s, I was lambing for a big sheep ranch, and was outside and inside the barn all night. I looked to the North one night in March, during lambing season, and there they were! Awestruck, I stood still for a few moments to watch the shimmering curtain of greens, pinks, and listened to the hiss and crackles. It felt like I was being visited by God and He was leaving me with a message of hope and assurance.
I had never seen these before. Since that time I have seen the aurorae several times, in the early morning hours. So beautiful!
I was on a commercial aircraft between Tokyo and Detroit somewhere above the Aleutians. We flew into night and at about 35 thousand feet and I was able to experience the Northern lights. It was magnificent.
Article very interesting and the lights are amazing. Observing from a different point of view and reading about the colors is another world. I'm "Color Blind" or a better definition "Color Deficient". I'm Red-Green deficient. I see colors, but don't concentrate or take note of them, just enjoy the beautiful dancing displays.
There are glasses selling for $300+ to somewhat correct, I've seen sunsets with them and wow, so much color. I won't buy as I'll probably loose them. I'm use to my world. Seen sunsets in the great states of WY & MT and even without those glasses, the sunsets are spectacular.
Color deficiencies are passed down from mother to sons. In my family color deficiency is rampart. Red-Green is more common. I feel lucky though, on some island in the South Pacific there is a lot of in-breeding and the population can see only Black & White. I don't and never complained about it. Because of the deficiency, I've been excluded from some career fields and scored high on tests in the Air Force for Electronics and Missiles, state cop, but had to settle being with KC-135 & B-52's. Funny, I inspected many color coded wiring and ran engines with color coded marked dials. You learn to compromise. My AF friends were always asking me what color of cars were. To me rainbows have two colors, yellow and blue, yet they are beautiful. I've done a lot of color photography, different mediums produce different observations.
For a funny, If I made up the color charts, "normal" people would be color deficient. They have special charts (numbers or letters) to indicate if you have color problems. When I see some numbers, the medical person would say, "yup, you're color blind". I except my world and appreciate being here some 83 years.
I've noted OFA has other articles about Northern Lights. I've been to Alaska but in the warmer months. Would like to see the Northern's there. Webs sites have videos to watch them.
Having lived in NH my entire life, I'm happy to say I've seen the Aurora Borealis twice. The first time was while at an outdoor field party in 1971 or 72. Someone pointed over my head and said "The Northern Lights!" Well, as most of us had never seen them before, out came a compass, and indeed, the light show was due north. It danced and swayed for several minutes, in shades of blues and greens, like a rippling ocean in the sky. Again, around 1989. We had been told to expect the Northern Lights if the sky was clear, so we waited on the edge of a huge sandpit, facing north. Not late into the night, the show did not disappoint! This show more in reds and orange/yellow for the most part. Like the glow of a distant fire. Just awesome.
Watched for about 15 to 20 minutes. When I continued on my way I noticed a car following and speed past as I pulled in my driveway. About 20 minutes later there was a knock on my door. County Sheriffs Department wanting to know what I was doing parked on the road. Turns out I had stopped by a house (unbeknownst to me) that had been burglarized a couple of nights before that and they thought I was the burglar coming back. Won't forget that for awhile. LOL
Decades ago, my nephew called at 4am, and said "Don't say anything. Just go outside". so I did. There were RED lights right to the ground. I danced in the northern lights! Nothing that spectacular has ever happened since!
I remember as a child of about 11, my younger sister was 10, about 1979' my siblings and I would sleep out under the stars' every starry summer night, on our porch, in Northern Idaho.
This particular night as we were looking up at the stars this colorful rippling cloud/curtain was lighting up the sky! Directly above us there was a shadow in the center that was in the shape of an eagle, I remember it was BEAUTIFUL!!!
The next morning during breakfast my mom and dad asked if we had all seen the Aurorea Bourealis, I said yes, it was so beautiful, my younger sister pipes up and says; "That must be what was eating our raspberries!!!!" (my grandma would come in every mornng after picking raspberries and say "Something keeps eating our raspberries!!".
I have yet to see the Northern Lights as beautiful in person since that night!
