Northern Lights Could Put on a Show Tonight

Northern lights may be visible in parts of the US on Monday night following weekend solar storms. The sun burped out a huge burst of energy called a coronal mass ejection last week, prompting space weather forecasters to issue a rare, severe solar storm alert on Sunday. Another one headed toward Earth on Monday could produce more aurora sightings, the AP reports.

• Auroras could be visible—especially in darker, rural areas—in Alaska, Washington, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Maine, and northern parts of Idaho, Wyoming, Iowa, New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire.

• Authorities are monitoring for possible disruptions, though the worst is already over. The weekend's storms may have caused brief disruptions to high-frequency radio, said Erica Grow Cei, a spokesperson with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
• Northern lights forecasts can be found on NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center website or an aurora forecasting app. Taking a picture with a smartphone camera may reveal hints of the aurora that aren't visible to the naked eye, the AP reports. Some tips on photographing the aurora can be seen here.
• The sun is at the maximum phase of its 11-year activity cycle, making the light displays more common and widespread. Colorful northern lights have decorated night skies in unexpected places, and space weather experts say there are more auroras still to come.