LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – A solar storm forecast for Thursday is expected to put on quite a show for people in 17 states, including Michigan.
Michiganders can glimpse the Northern Lights. It’s the colorful sky show that happens when solar wind hits the atmosphere.
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Northern Lights, also known as aurora borealis, are most often seen in Alaska, Canada and Scandinavia, but an 11-year solar cycle that’s expected to peak in 2024 is making the lights visible in places farther to the south.
In addition to Michigan, The Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks has forecast auroral activity on Thursday in Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Indiana, Maine and Maryland.
Light displays are expected to be visible overhead in Milwaukee, Minneapolis and Helena, Montana, and low on the horizon in Salem, Oregon.; Boise, Idaho; Cheyenne, Wyoming; Annapolis, Maryland; and Indianapolis, according to the institute.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center said people wanting to experience an aurora should get away from city lights. The best viewing times are between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time.
