January came in like a wrecking ball for skygazers, opening the year with a sweet supermoon and a major meteor shower. The ball keeps rolling, as the old saying goes, with what will likely be one of the best displays of aurora borealis of the year. Tonight’s storm is predicted to be quite powerful and may cause the northern lights to stretch as far south as Kansas.

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It’s all thanks to an X-class coronal mass ejection that erupted from the sun on Jan. 18. It is headed straight toward Earth. The plasma and solar material contained therein will interact with Earth’s geomagnetic field, resulting in pretty sky lights for those of us here on the ground. Per SpaceWeather, this particular CME erupted for nearly seven hours, which is a lot longer than usual. NOAA’s prediction shows the results of this as the geomagnetic storm continuing uninterrupted with varying strengths, all night and all day on Jan. 20. 

Where will the aurora be visible tonight?

According to NOAA’s prediction dashboard, the aurora itself will push down to Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North and South Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan, and Maine. Alaska and Canada have the best view, as is the norm. 

It should be at least visible in Nebraska, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire. People in those states will want to get to higher ground if possible and face north to get the best view. 

Geomagnetic storms are a lot like regular storms here on Earth in that predictions can only get you so far. Should the storm be a bit stronger than its prediction, you can add Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware to the list as well. It may even reach further if the G4 storm is upgraded to a G5 storm, so keep an eye out on your local news this evening in case NOAA’s prediction changes. 

How to watch the aurora borealis

Tips on how to watch the aurora borealis can be broken down by region. If you’re in the states where the aurora borealis is definitely happening, all you have to do is get away from the light pollution in city and suburban areas and look up. The closer you are to the Canadian border, the stronger the aurora will be. You won’t need any additional equipment to see it. 

Those outside of the first group but still within NOAA’s viewing line can still see the aurora, but it’ll require a little extra work. You definitely want to get away from the city and suburbs, as the light pollution will hinder your ability to see it. Once outside of town, find the highest spot you can and face north. Depending on the strength of the storm, you should be able to spot the aurora in the northern skies. 

The good news is that the new moon happened on Jan. 18, so there will be virtually no light pollution from the moon. If the sky is clear and somewhere dark, your odds of seeing the aurora will be pretty high. Should you decide to brave the cold to see the northern lights, keep an eye out for Jupiter. It’ll be the brightest thing in the sky not named the moon, and if you have a telescope, you can get an excellent view of the planet and its rings right now.