(NewsNation) — Minor geomagnetic storms are expected to bring another display of the aurora borealis, or the northern lights, on Wednesday night across 15 states in the U.S.
The auroras are predicted to be the strongest in Alaska and Canada, but they can possibly also be seen across the northern part of the U.S., according to the NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center. Besides Alaska, the other U.S. states with high visibility include Washington, northern Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.
States that are along the “view line,” or the expected southernmost view point of the lights, are Iowa, New York, New Hampshire and Maine.
The northern lights occur in the sky when charged particles from the sun hit Earth’s upper atmosphere, colliding with oxygen and nitrogen particles and creating a “sun hole.” These particles then glow different colors as they shed energy from the collision, according to NASA.
The NOAA says the best time to view the lights is between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time, and to move away from city lights and travel as far north as possible to get the clearest view.
The Space Weather Prediction Center says geomagnetic activity is expected to drop after Wednesday night, with only a minor G1 storm forecast expected for Thursday.