Northern Lights Forecast: 10 States May See Aurora Saturday Night

InnovationScienceNorthern Lights Forecast: 10 States May See Aurora Saturday NightByJamie Carter,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. An award-winning reporter writing about stargazing and the night sky.Follow AuthorApr 25, 2026, 04:38pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.The northern lights may be visible overnight from up to 10 northern U.S. states on Sunday, April 26, into Monday, April 27, according to NOAA. (Photo by Ross Harried/NurPhoto via Getty Images)NurPhoto via Getty ImagesThe northern lights may be visible overnight from up to 10 northern U.S. states on Saturday, April 25, into Sunday, April 26, according to a forecast by space weather experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It comes in the wake of double M1-class solar flares on the sun on April 23. In their wake, NASA’s orbiting Solar Dynamics Observatory tracked a coronal mass ejection (CME) — a cloud of super-charged particles — traveling in the direction of Earth. CMEs often cause aurora displays. According to Spaceweather.com, this one is expected to graze Earth's magnetic field. Northern Lights Tonight: ForecastThe forecast is for a G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm in the offing. “Isolated G1 (Minor) geomagnetic storming conditions are possible on April 26 in response to the arrival of the glancing CME impact,” said NOAA. The northern lights are caused by the solar wind, a constant stream of charged particles flowing from the sun that interacts with Earth’s magnetic field. While most are deflected, some particles spiral along magnetic field lines toward the poles, colliding with oxygen and nitrogen atoms high in the atmosphere. These collisions excite the gases, causing them to release energy as shimmering light. Northern Lights Forecast: Where And WhenA G1-class geomagnetic storm could see aurora visible on the northern horizon from a...