Americans are in for a treat on Thursday and Friday night. The NOAA has reported an explosion of solar materials mixing with magnetic fields will produce one of the strongest geomagnetic storms of the year resulting in many Americans being able to see the Northern Lights. Astronomers have reported Americans in 22 states will be able to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights but noted in order to see them you must be in an area that isn’t impacted by light pollution. The Hill reported more on what is causing the Northern Lights: An eruption of solar material and magnetic fields is impacting Earth, prompting one of the strongest geomagnetic storms of the year — and a chance at seeing the northern lights for many. NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center has been tracking four notable coronal mass ejections (CMEs) — explosions of plasma and magnetic material from the sun — since Monday. While “the bulk” of three of the CMEs was expected to miss Earth, the SWPC said one hurled out by the sun Wednesday appeared to be heading our way. As predicted, the agency reported a strong G3-level geomagnetic storm had started early Thursday morning. In an update, the SWPC said “infrastructure operators have been notified to mitigate any possible impacts,” which may include “controllable power fluctuations in the power grid,” a “slight risk” to satellite operations, and “intermittent GPS degradation.” As daunting as that sounds, infrastructure managers faced even stronger geomagnetic storming this year, and you likely didn’t even notice. What you may notice, however, is the northern lights. Some of the main factors that can influence whether you’ll see the northern lights include the strength of the storm, your location, and the time of day. Storms that reach G3 strength on the SWPC’s 5-point scale are capable of sending the northern lights as far south as Illinois and Oregon. The SWPC noted, however, that the true strength of the storm can change as the CME interacts with our atmosphere. ‘Strong’ geomagnetic storm makes Northern Lights sightings possible in US on Thursday, Friday https://t.co/xg9ZxWWYyF pic.twitter.com/GsJaznr7vL — New York Post (@nypost) November 6, 2025 Space provided the 22 states that residents might be able to get a glimpse of the Northern Lights: Based on the latest NOAA aurora forecast map, the following 22 U.S. States appear fully or partially above the aurora view line: Alaska Washington Oregon Idaho Montana Wyoming North Dakota South Dakota Nebraska Minnesota Iowa Wisconsin Illinois Indiana Ohio Michigan New York Pennsylvania Vermont New Hampshire Massachusetts Maine But remember, that auroras are highly unpredictable, so even if you’re within the view line, you’ll still need cloud-free skies, minimal light pollution, a clear view northward and a little bit of luck to catch the show.