The Northern Lights Will Glow Again Tonight—These States Will Have the Best Views

If you missed last night's swirling light show in the sky, don't worry. You might have another chance to see this one-of-a-kind phenomenon tonight. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the northern lights may appear in states just south of the Canadian border this evening.

Following a period of geomagnetic storms Monday night and early Tuesday, NOAA is currently forecasting a Kp index of four for Tuesday night, which means the northern lights may be visible as far south as southern Minnesota. The Kp index is a scale from 0 to 9 that's used to measure geomagnetic activity. The higher the number, the further south the northern lights may appear.

Based on NOAA's projected view line, the aurora borealis will be visible in northern Canada and in Alaska, with a chance that residents in parts of Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Upper Michigan, and Maine may also catch a glimpse of the phenomenon. Auroral activity is expected to return to normal levels by Wednesday night.

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The northern lights are a result of a coronal mass ejection, or CME, during which large clouds of ionized gas, called plasma, and magnetic fields erupt from the sun’s outer atmosphere, entering space at high speeds. When the solar particles from the CME reach Earth, they collide with atoms and molecules in the upper atmosphere, causing some elements to glow in varying hues. Oxygen, for example, gives off a green cast, while nitrogen appears in shades of blue and purple, according to AccuWeather.

To get the best view, NOAA recommends heading to a north-facing, high vantage point away from light pollution. The best window for spotting the northern lights is between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time