<\/p>\n The solar conditions are predicted to surge past a KP5 at around 11 PM EST tonight, March 18. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts conditions could peak around a G2, KP6 storm around 1 AM EST.<\/p>\n Article continues below <\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n Conditions are expected to remain favorable through the night, dropping slightly under a KP5 after 7 AM EST.<\/p>\n \n States above the red line have the highest odds of spotting the aurora (Image credit: NOAA)<\/p>\n While tonight has the highest odds on the three-day forecast, NOAA also predicts conditions will go back up to G1-level storms around 7 PM EST on March 19. While Wednesday evening\u2019s chances look highest, there\u2019s still a chance for aurora sightings on Thursday evening as well.<\/p>\n The UK’s Met Office notes<\/a> that there are smaller flares following the one that erupted on Monday, which could bring “a very slight chance” of a strong G3 storm on March 20 and 21.<\/p>\n Predicting the aurora is never a sure thing \u2013 NOAA\u2019s 30-minute forecast<\/a> tends to be more accurate than the three-day predictions, so photographers may want to check conditions again before heading out.<\/p>\n March tends to be a favorable month for spotting the aurora, as the equinox tends to allow for more interaction between solar wind and Earth’s magnetic field<\/a>.<\/p>\n Along with strong solar activity, photographers will also need clear skies to capture the northern lights. A cloudless sky is best, though skywatchers may be able to find a lucky break with partially cloudy conditions.<\/p>\n Locations away from light pollution<\/a> also have higher odds. The moon is in the New Moon phase, which should also help conditions, as light from a full moon can make the lights harder to spot.<\/p>\n Photographers have a bit working in their favor, however, as the aurora is often easier for a camera to spot than the human eye. I\u2019ve photographed several minor solar storms that popped up on my camera, but I couldn\u2019t quite make them out with my eyes.<\/p>\n To prep for photographing the aurora, have a tripod ready<\/a> and the camera batteries fully charged \u2013 especially in March, as cold weather can drain batteries faster.<\/p>\n You may also like<\/p>\n Learn how to photograph the northern lights<\/a>. Browse northern lights photography tips<\/a> or find inspiration in the best northern lights photos of the year<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Astrophotographers, grab your gear \u2013 a strong solar flare has increased the odds for catching the northern lights…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":336403,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[442,498,499,500,501,156,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-336402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=336402"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336402\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/336403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=336402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=336402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=336402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/CRsb6K9BNw3CgjPVcCh3q8.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n