{"id":875621,"date":"2026-10-08T22:26:18","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T22:26:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/875621\/"},"modified":"2026-10-08T22:26:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T22:26:18","slug":"northern-lights-alert-how-to-view-tonights-aurora-in-new-england","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/875621\/","title":{"rendered":"Northern lights alert: How to view tonight’s aurora in New England"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re willing to lose a little sleep tonight, there could be a pretty good reason to step outside and look to the north. <\/p>\n

The Northern Lights could make an appearance across New England overnight, thanks to a coronal mass ejection (CME), essentially a cloud of magnetized solar material racing past Earth. NOAA\u2019s Space Weather Prediction Center is expecting a moderate geomagnetic storm<\/a>, a level G2 out of 5, overnight Thursday into the predawn hours of Friday. A geomagnetic storm watch of that level can typically extend the visibility of the northern lights as far south as Massachusetts, although some forecasts have the viewing line as far south as New Jersey.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s never a certainty that a strong geomagnetic storm will occur. It\u2019s always tricky to forecast how strong the CME might be when it erupts from the sun 91 million and 93 million miles away from Earth.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis CME is forecasted to be a glancing blow,\u201d said Vincent Ledvina, of Alaska, a space physics Ph.D. student who\u2019s known as \u201cthe Aurora Guy<\/a>.\u201d \u201cThe cloud is a partial halo aimed mostly north of Earth, so the models have its flank sweeping over us rather than its core, and a flank hit can underperform or miss us entirely.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheThe University of Alaska shows a forecast view line (sharp green line) for the northern lights south of New Jersey on Thursday night.University of Alaska<\/p>\n

But this is the best chance the region has seen in a while to catch a glimpse of the aurora borealis, since we\u2019re coming off of Solar Maximum<\/a>, when the sun is most active in producing these storms. <\/p>\n

Weather-wise, we won\u2019t have to worry about cloud cover tonight because high pressure will keep the night almost completely clear. The moonlight also shouldn\u2019t interfere since we\u2019re entering the new moon phase.<\/p>\n

Based on the latest observations from NOAA, the best opportunity may actually come toward the early morning hours, roughly between 3 and 5:30 a.m. Forecasters are expecting the geomagnetic activity to build throughout the night, peaking near dawn. Again, forecasting space weather from millions of miles away isn\u2019t easy, so it\u2019s also worth taking a look between 11 p.m. and midnight, too. <\/p>\n

So if you\u2019re motivated to catch something, find somewhere dark and get away from the street lights and other light pollution. I don\u2019t expect this to be a blockbuster event. The most likely scenario is that the geomagnetic storm stays on the weaker side and perhaps New Englanders can see some glow on the horizon to the north with the naked eye. <\/p>\n

Be sure to snap a few photos on your phone if you can\u2019t see anything. Your cellphone can often pick up the wavelengths and capture what you can\u2019t see.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe northern lights as seen over the Sandwich Boardwalk in Massachusetts in November 2025.Paul Ruszala<\/p>\n

Tracking aurora chances in real time<\/p>\n

Of course, you can always keep track of the northern lights in real time via an app or NOAA\u2019s site. Just head to the Space Weather Prediction Center website to monitor the Earth\u2019s magnetic field<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an example below of two main metrics to watch for. The Bz (red) shows the orientation of Earth\u2019s magnetic field. The Bt (white) shows the strength of it, and the solar wind speed is tracked in yellow.<\/p>\n

Look for a jump up in Bt intensity (white), a flip to a negative in Bz orientation (red), and a jump in solar wind speed (yellow), then go outside and look up!<\/p>\n

\"AnAn example plot map tracking geomagnetic storms.SWPC<\/p>\n

I touched on it above, but there\u2019s a big reason why I think this one is worth watching.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re now past Solar Maximum, the peak period of the sun\u2019s roughly 11-year activity cycle, meaning as solar activity gradually declines, these geomagnetic storms and opportunities to view the aurora should become less frequent over the coming years. That doesn\u2019t mean the aurora is going away, but the odds of frequent, widespread displays should diminish as we move farther from the peak.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe number of sunspots has decreased dramatically in 2026 after the Solar Maximum was achieved in late 2024. Solar Maximum occurs about every 11 years.SWPC<\/p>\n

So, if you\u2019re on the fence, I say set the alarm. Maybe you get nothing. Maybe you see a faint green glow hugging the northern horizon. Or maybe the night sky surprises us and puts on a display. Either way, it\u2019s probably worth losing a little sleep to find out.<\/p>\n

Ken Mahan can be reached at ken.mahan@globe.com<\/a>. Follow him on Instagram @kenmahantheweatherman<\/a>.<\/p>\n