northern lights

World News

There's still a chance to see the Northern Lights from lower latitudes

3:11pm May 12, 2024

by John Helton

The solar storm that's pushing sightings of the Northern Lights to lower latitudes is forecast to continue into the coming days, but its impact has likely peaked.

Crosby Beach, Liverpool, England: The aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, glow on the horizon at Another Place by Anthony Gormley.

Photos: See the Northern lights from rare solar storm

4:10pm May 11, 2024

A powerful solar storm struck Earth, triggering spectacular celestial light shows in skies around the world — and threatening possible disruptions to satellites and power grids.

An aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, is seen in the sky in the early morning hours of Monday, April 24, 2023, near Washtucna, Wash.

Science

Stronger activity on the sun could bring more displays of the northern lights in 2024

5:00am November 09, 2023

by Ayana Archie

Scientists have updated their forecast for the current solar cycle, which usually lasts about 11 years. Solar activity is now expected to peak earlier and to be stronger than previously thought.

An aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, is seen in the sky in the early morning hours of April 24, near Washtucna, Wash. An intense solar storm has the aurora borealis gracing the skies farther south than usual.

Science

The northern lights are coming to several states this week. Here's how to see them

6:00am July 09, 2023

by Ayana Archie

This week's geomagnetic storm will bring the aurora borealis further south. The Space Weather Prediction Center says the best time to view the aurora borealis is between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time.

In this Sept. 15, 2017, photo provided by the U.S. Army Alaska, soldiers from Alpha Company, 70th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, based at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, conduct unscheduled field maintenance

Science

The Northern Lights may move farther south into the mainland U.S. this week

10:16am August 18, 2022

by Ayana Archie

The Northern Lights, known scientifically as auroras borealis, are triggered by geomagnetic activity from the sun. They typically occur closer to the North Pole, near Alaska and Canada.

The northern lights (aurora borealis) illuminate the sky over Reinfjorden in Reine, on Lofoten Islands in the Arctic Circle in 2017.

Science

What Causes The Northern Lights? Scientists Finally Know For Sure

9:57am June 10, 2021

by Joe Hernandez

An article suggests the natural light show starts when disturbances on the sun pull on Earth's magnetic field, creating cosmic waves that launch electrons into the atmosphere to form the aurora.

The auroral dunes appear as green waves in the sky.

A New Form Of Northern Lights Discovered In Finland – By Amateur Sky Watchers

5:27pm January 30, 2020

by Laurel Wamsley

It was the members of a Facebook group who noted that the auroras they'd seen didn't look like any that had been previously catalogued. So physicists asked them to take a few carefully timed photos.

The northern lights over Iceland in February. The glowing orange area on the left side are the lights of the capital, Reykjavik.

Reykjavik Turns Off Street Lights To Turn Up The Northern Lights

7:56pm September 29, 2016

by Rebecca Hersher

Wednesday night's aurora borealis forecast was particularly strong, so Icelandic officials tried to reduce light pollution to make the green glow more visible to people in the capital.

The "Aurora Forecast" from NOAA shows areas of the U.S. and Canada where the northern lights could have been visible Friday night.

Northern Lights Put On Show, Thanks To Large Solar Flare

8:50am September 13, 2014

by Bill Chappell

If you weren't far enough in the north — or well-rested enough – to see the show, don't worry: stunning images were posted to Twitter and elsewhere. Here's a selection.