Skywatchers across America should look up for the next few nights as the northern lights are expected to be visible in the Northeast, upper Midwest and northern border states as far south as Oregon.

The Aurora Borealis, commonly known as the Northern Lights, is set to return on July 31 to August 1, but the display will not be as strong or widespread as the event witnessed on May 10 to 11.

Recent solar activity has been notable, with several complex sunspot groups visible on the solar disk. The center reported a strong solar flare on Sunday evening, and at least four coronal mass ejections are anticipated to have Earth-directed components, potentially arriving between Tuesday and Thursday.

A coronal mass ejection occurs when there is a disruption in the sun’s magnetic field, leading to an explosion that propels solar particles into space. These particles can reach Earth and cause geomagnetic storms.

The Space Weather Prediction Center has issued a strong storm watch for July 30 and a moderate storm watch for July 31 to August 1. The northern lights display in May, rated an extreme storm, was visible in areas that typically do not see such events. While the upcoming display will not be as strong, there is still the possibility of visibility depending on your location.

Conditions permitting, the aurora borealis could be seen as far south as the northeastern United States, through the upper Midwest, and across the northern states, including northern Oregon. The best time to observe the aurora borealis is when the sky is dark. The phenomenon can appear and disappear, so persistence is key.

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