Northern Lights Could Be Visible From 9 States On Sunday

Aug 16, 2026 09:11 PM - 1 hour ago 1

Topline

The bluish lights could beryllium visible successful immoderate parts of the bluish U.S. connected Sunday night, according to a forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, though forecasters did not foretell immoderate abstraction upwind events that could origin much vivid lightshows.

The aurora has a chance to beryllium visible from immoderate bluish states connected Sunday night.

Anadolu via Getty Images

Key Facts

NOAA is predicting a Kp scale of 4 retired of 9 for Sunday night, meaning the aurora could look brighter successful definite places and much progressive pinch “motion and formations.”

However, forecasters are not predicting immoderate awesome abstraction upwind successful the adjacent fewer days, which tin heighten bluish lights visibility.

Where Could the Northern Lights Be Visible?

NOAA predicts states on the U.S.-Canadian separator could person a chance of seeing the aurora connected Sunday night, including North Dakota, on pinch bluish portions of Washington, Idaho, Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The lights could besides beryllium visible from astir of Alaska, pinch overmuch of the state’s interior shown pinch a precocious chance successful NOAA’s forecast. However, the sun sets incredibly precocious successful Alaska during the summertime months, meaning the entity mightiness not get acheronian capable for viewers to spot a vivid aurora.

NOAA's aurora forecast representation for Sunday.

NOAA

What’s the Best Way to View the Northern Lights?

Experts astatine NOAA urge viewers mostly recreation arsenic acold northbound arsenic possible, and position themselves connected a vantage constituent for illustration a elevation pinch a clear position of the sky. Viewers should besides make judge this tract gets acheronian enough, and is distant from sources of ray for illustration cities. The lights are typically astir progressive successful the hours conscionable earlier and aft midnight, according to NOAA, truthful viewers should purpose to watch the entity betwixt 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.

What’s the Best Way to Photograph the Northern Lights?

A photographer who said to National Geographic said smartphones are tin of taking precocious value images of the bluish lights, provided users are utilizing the correct settings and equipment. Prospective photographers should retrieve to bring a tripod and a distant timer for their devices. They should besides guarantee they move disconnected flash, move their devices to nighttime mode and sprout successful RAW image format.

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