{"id":934913,"date":"2026-10-16T07:34:16","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T07:34:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/934913\/"},"modified":"2026-10-16T07:34:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T07:34:16","slug":"how-to-watch-the-northern-lights-after-triple-solar-blast-tonight-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/934913\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Watch the Northern Lights After \u2018Triple Solar Blast\u2019 Tonight"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEED TO KNOW<\/p>\n

NOAA forecasts below-storm-level activity despite coronal mass ejections reaching Earth<\/p>\n

Viewers in Alaska, northern Canada and some upper Midwest states have the best chance of seeing auroras<\/p>\n

Smartphone night mode may capture faint displays better than the naked eye<\/p>\n

Could the northern lights be making a surprise cameo tonight?<\/p>\n

For reference, the northern lights (aurora borealis<\/a>) are a result of geomagnetic storms, which occur when charged particles from the Sun collide with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere, creating brilliant waves of light in the sky.<\/p>\n

Between Sunday, Oct. 11, and Tuesday, Oct. 13, a series of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) \u2014 huge clouds of charged particles and magnetic fields hurled from the Sun \u2014 set out toward Earth<\/a>, and NOAA said their arrival could stir geomagnetic storm conditions late this Thursday, Oct. 16.<\/p>\n

According to the latest forecast<\/a>, geomagnetic activity is expected to stay below storm levels, with the strongest three-hour Kp forecast at just 2.67. That’s a quiet-to-unsettled backdrop, not the G1 or G2 storm conditions that typically push the auroras farther south.<\/p>\n

Still, the northern lights are notoriously fickle, so brief displays can’t be ruled out, especially under dark skies at high northern latitudes.<\/p>\n

NOAA’s three-day forecast<\/a> also notes that as solar-wind measurements arrive, conditions may shift during the evening.<\/p>\n

So, if you’re hoping for a glimpse of the dazzling aurora, keep an eye on the real-time map and give your eyes time to adjust once you’re away from city lights.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, read on for everything you need to know about this stellar event.<\/p>\n

When will the northern lights be visible?\"Aurora<\/p>\n

Aurora Borealis
Credit: Dean Mouhtaropoulos\/Getty<\/p>\n

Look up after dark and check conditions throughout the night.<\/p>\n

NOAA’s forecast puts activity below storm levels, with the highest predicted Kp period from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. ET.<\/p>\n

However, despite the forecast window, it doesn’t guarantee visible auroras.<\/p>\n

It doesn’t hurt to keep an eye out for the aurora either way.<\/p>\n

Where will the northern lights be visible?\"Northern<\/p>\n

Northern Lights
Credit: Lance King\/Getty<\/p>\n

The best chance to catch a glimpse of the auroras is at high northern latitudes, including Alaska and far northern Canada, under clear, dark skies.<\/p>\n

“The aurora may become visible over some northern and upper Midwest states from New York to Idaho,” NOAA said.<\/p>\n

How to watch the northern lights?\"Aurora<\/p>\n

Aurora borealis
Credit: Gallo Images ROOTS Collection\/Getty<\/p>\n

Get away from city lights!<\/p>\n

Auroras are surprisingly faint to the naked eye at first, especially during weaker geomagnetic storms, so dark skies make a huge difference.<\/p>\n

Patience matters, too! After all, auroral activity can fluctuate quickly, sometimes appearing as a faint glow before suddenly erupting into visible ribbons or waves of green light.<\/p>\n

Remember to also keep tabs on real-time conditions using NOAA’s 30-minute aurora forecast<\/a> and space-weather apps that track solar wind and magnetic field changes.<\/p>\n

How to photograph the northern lights?<\/p>\n

Did you know that your smartphone camera might actually capture the aurora better than your eyes can during weaker storms?<\/p>\n

If you’re using a smartphone, switch to night mode or long exposure mode and hold the camera as still as possible \u2014 ideally with a tripod or by propping it against something stable. You’ll want to keep your setup as steady as possible, since the auroras are best captured with long exposures.<\/p>\n

All you have to do is head to your device’s settings and tap the “night mode” option or “pro mode,” which offers similar exposure times.<\/p>\n

Read the original article on People<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEED TO KNOW NOAA forecasts below-storm-level activity despite coronal mass ejections reaching Earth Viewers in Alaska, northern Canada…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":934914,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[49,48,66],"class_list":["post-934913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-science","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/934913","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=934913"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/934913\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/934914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=934913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=934913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=934913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}