Additional locations include Wisconsin, Michigan (more prominent in the Upper Peninsula), and Maine, especially in the state’s most northern region.

The Northern Lights in Rileyville, Virginia on October 10, 2024 | Source: Getty Images

The SWPC’s forecast, which is subject to change, uses green and red colors to indicate the location, brightness, and intensity of the aurora, with green symbolizing the first two, and red the latter.

According to their prediction, which is based on the OVATION model, auroras are typically observed from Earth either just before sunrise or just after sunset, as the spectacle is not visible during daylight hours.

The Northern Lights don’t need to be directly positioned high above in the sky, as the light spectacle can be observed from as far as 1000 km away should the conditions be right and when the aurora is bright enough.

The prediction center has also provided useful tips for those keen to witness the light event, such as the best-suited environmental conditions for observation.

Civilians should go outside at night, and move away from city lights, as the moon tends to diminish the apparent brightness of the aurora, but not its actual radiance.

The center also urges people to remember that the high latitudes where auroras occur are latitudes that don’t get dark in the summer.

This means that those looking to combine a summer vacation to the Arctic with the timing of the aurora occurrence will not succeed. This is because, while the aurora may be present, it will only be visible in the dark.

Additionally, the best time to view the aurora is within an hour or two of midnight, between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time, as this is usually the time when geomagnetic activity levels increase.

The best seasons for observation are around springtime and fall equinoxes, due to the existence of subtleties in the way solar wind interacts with the Earth’s magnetosphere.

“There is a tendency towards larger geomagnetic storms, and thus better auroras, to occur near the equinoxes,” explains the center.

Continuing, they noted, “However, the number of hours of darkness decreases (increases) rapidly near the spring (fall) equinox so this caveat must be considered for those traveling to see the aurora.”

The upcoming light event is not the first instance that U.S. civilians had the opportunity to witness the Northern Lights, as the spectacle took place last month (October 2024) as well.