After putting on a spectacular display in the night sky last month, the northern lights are expected to be visible again in the United States this week.
A G2 Geomagnetic Storm Watch remains in effect following a coronal mass ejection (CME) -- an eruption of solar material -- that occurred on Saturday, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center. When a CME arrives at Earth, it can cause a geomagnetic storm, which can drive the northern lights farther south than usual.
"If G2 conditions materialize, aurora may become visible over some northern and upper Midwest states from New York to Idaho," the center said.
According NOAA, the strong solar radiation storm on Saturday was the strongest solar radiation or "S" storm since September 2017.
"Storms of this magnitude can often result in degradation or loss of high frequency communications in the polar regions. Space launch operations at risk; also slight risk to satellites," said the Space Weather Prediction Center.
Forecasters are also keeping an eye on the massive sunspot, known as region #3697, that produced last month's eye-popping aurora display. The sunspot will be in Earth's sight through the end of the week, opening a window of opportunity for aurora sightings, USA Today reported.
To see if the aurora is visible in your location, check the NOAA's Aurora Forecast, which updates every 30 minutes.
The sun is currently in its 25th solar cycle, an 11-year period of solar magnetic activity that began in December 2019. As the cycle reaches its "solar maximum," when solar activity is at its highest, it produces more frequent and intense solar storms. When a solar storm occurs in the Earth's magnetosphere, the northern lights are visible.
While it's impossible to predict exactly when the solar maximum will happen, researchers expect it to occur sometime between now and the end of the year. That means increased chances for geomagnetic storms to delight skywatchers for the next several months.
Researchers previously predicted that 2024 would be the year of aurora borealis -- that the northern lights would be visible more often and from more places in 2024 than they have been in the past 20 years and are expected to be in the next decade.