Geomagnetic storm could light up US skies with northern lights tonight

A geomagnetic storm hitting Earth on December 9 is expected to push the aurora borealis far enough south that people across much of the northern United States might actually see it. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center is tracking the event, and if it unfolds as predicted, folks in Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire could step outside and witness something most people only see in travel photos.

The catch: you need to be in the right place. Northern lights are notoriously difficult to photograph or even see from cities and suburbs, where street lights and ambient glow wash out the sky. Your best bet is to drive out to somewhere rural—an open field, a quiet country road, anywhere you can see the horizon without light pollution crowding in. If you're serious about it, get away from populated areas entirely.

If you're planning to chase this, a few things matter. The stronger the geomagnetic activity, the brighter and more visible the aurora becomes. Smartphone cameras can capture it, but they work better when there's less ambient light interfering. Most importantly, though, remember that you're not just collecting a photo. The aurora is something to watch—the way the light moves, the colors shifting, the sheer strangeness of seeing the sky behave like that. Take the picture, but don't let the screen be the only thing you experience.

Geomagnetic storms of this strength aren't common enough to ignore. If you have the chance and the weather cooperates, it's worth the drive north and away from the city lights.