Christmas Day aurora borealis could light up parts of the US

The sun sends us gifts of a dazzling show of light come Christmas night.

Skywatchers are anticipating a possible aurora borealis for parts of the US on Dec. 25 following a solar flare that spewed a coronal mass ejection (CME) toward Earth. The CME prompted a geomagnetic storm warning from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center on Monday.

States in the Northeast and Midwest are the most likely to see Northern Lights, according to NOAA investigators.

Auroras occur when a CME sends electrically charged particles, or ions, into Earth’s magnetosphere, bringing about the conditions for a geomagnetic storm. The collision between ions and gases in our magnetic field creates energy in the form of light — known as Aurora Borealis in the Northern Hemisphere and Aurora Australis in the Southern Hemisphere.

Map of earth indicating potential areas in the northern and upper Midwest states where Northern lights may be visible due to minor geomagnetic storm on Christmas day — Map of earth indicating potential areas in the northern and upper Midwest states where Northern lights may be visible due to a minor geomagnetic storm on Christmas day. Space.com

NOAA’s 3-day forecast predicts the right conditions for a minor geomagnetic storm on Dec. 25, setting the stage for Northern Lights at the highest latitudes.

Space weather, like meteorology on Earth, can be unpredictable, warned Space.com on Tuesday. Atmospheric conditions such as cloud coverage may also impact aurora visibility. Download

Space.com recommends space weather tracking apps to stay ahead of the next geomagnetic storms that cause auroras, such as the My Aurora Forecast & Alerts (Apple | Android) and the Space Weather Live (Apple | Android) apps.