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The Biggest Aurora of 2026 (So Far) Is Coming Tonight: Here’s How and Where to See It

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting a G4-level geomagnetic storm after a long-duration solar flare erupted a couple of days ago.

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.

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Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, Jan. 20

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Jan. 20.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? I thought it was extra-tough today. I didn’t know that 1-Across was a term for a certain type of cuisine. And I can’t be the only one who thought 9-Across was COOP. (Spoiler: It is not.) Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Style of cuisine with bulgogi beef, for short
Answer: KBBQ

5A clue: How bedtime stories are read
Answer: ALOUD

7A clue: Huge craze
Answer: MANIA

8A clue: Figure painted by Michelangelo, which can be found hidden in the name «Michelangelo»
Answer: ANGEL

9A clue: Home for doves or pigeons
Answer: COTE

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: ___ Sutra
Answer: KAMA

2D clue: Sauvignon ___ (wine variety)
Answer: BLANC

3D clue: Large drum played by hand
Answer: BONGO

4D clue: «Pipe down!»
Answer: QUIET

6D clue: Chip’s chipmunk pal
Answer: DALE

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Jan. 20, #484

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Jan. 20, No. 484.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition isn’t too tough, but the purple category might stump you. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: The other team.

Green group hint: Whoops!

Blue group hint: Baseball teams, for short.

Purple group hint: Hoopster nicknames.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Adversary.

Green group: Mess up.

Blue group: NL East teams, on scoreboards.

Purple group: Nicknames of WNBA players.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is adversary. The four answers are challenger, foe, opponent and rival.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is mess up. The four answers are botch, err, flub and fumble.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is NL East teams, on scoreboards. The four answers are ATL, MIA, NYM and PHI.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is nicknames of WNBA players. The four answers are KFC, Phee, Point Gawd and Stewie.

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Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for Jan. 20, #1676

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle for Jan. 20, No. 1,676.

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Wordle puzzle is kind of hard. There’s an unusual letter, plus a double letter — and that often slows me down when I’m solving Wordle. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.

Read more: New Study Reveals Wordle’s Top 10 Toughest Words of 2025

Today’s Wordle hints

Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.

Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats

Today’s Wordle answer has one repeated letter.

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

Today’s Wordle answer has one vowel and one sometimes vowel.

Wordle hint No. 3: First letter

Today’s Wordle answer begins with S.

Wordle hint No. 4: Last letter

Today’s Wordle answer ends with Y.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer can refer to damaging the integrity of something.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is SULLY.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, Jan. 19, No. 1675 was WAXEN.

Recent Wordle answers

Jan. 15, No. 1671: CHASM

Jan. 16, No. 1672: RACER

Jan. 17, No. 1673: FIERY

Jan. 18, No. 1674: SUMAC

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