The stunning northern lights might be visible from certain US states for the second night in a row on Monday night.
Also called the aurora borealis, the northern lights may be spotted with the naked eye in some states, with a half dozen of them in the north having the highest chance.
The states most likely to have a view of the lights are Alaska, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota and Wisconsin, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Other states with a lower likelihood of aurora sightings are Maine, South Dakota, Washington, and the northern parts of Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont and Wyoming.
What are the aurora borealis?
Auroras form when charged sun particles interact with the Earth’s gases in the upper atmosphere.
The sun particles, primarily electrons and protons, strike the upper atmosphere at up to 45million mph, creating the natural phenomenon.
They appear in the northern hemisphere in a variety of hues including green and pink, and less commonly, violet, blue, red and yellow.
The auroras come in different shapes including patches, streams, arcs and curtains in the night sky.
Why are the northern lights visible in the US?
A rare, severe solar storm occurred last week and weather forecasters issued an alert for it on Sunday.
Another solar storm appeared to be traveling towards Earth on Monday.
The auroras may also be visible on Tuesday night, but outside of Alaska, they will be harder to see.
Increased solar activity is also causing the auroras to appear more frequently and father south than in the past.
(Picture: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
How to see the northern lights?
The auroras cannot be seen during the day – only from after sunset to shortly before sunrise.
They can be seen from up to 1000km away from where they are dancing overhead.
Even in the states with the highest likelihood of aurora sightings, viewers must be in dark areas far from city lights.
The latest forecast for the northern lights is available on NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center website.
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