--- title: You Could See the Northern Lights in Parts of the U.S. This Week description: If you’re in the right part of the U.S. on Friday night, you might be able to see the aurora borealis. canonical: https://time.com/article/2026/03/13/northern-lights-us-states-tonight-where/ author: Chantelle Lee article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-03-13T20:39:09.973Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-19T07:45:16.018Z article:section: Science og:title: You Could See the Northern Lights in Parts of the U.S. This Week og:description: If you’re in the right part of the U.S. on Friday night, you might be able to see the aurora borealis. og:url: https://time.com/article/2026/03/13/northern-lights-us-states-tonight-where/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3277054dbb6836e9/69b4693c4eeab124b26d34a4/Northern-Lights-US.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Northern-Lights-US.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: You Could See the Northern Lights in Parts of the U.S. This Week twitter:description: If you’re in the right part of the U.S. on Friday night, you might be able to see the aurora borealis. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3277054dbb6836e9/69b4693c4eeab124b26d34a4/Northern-Lights-US.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # You Could See the Northern Lights in Parts of the U.S. This Week. Here’s What You Should Know by [Chantelle Lee](https://time.com/author/chantelle-lee/) ## Chantelle Lee Reporter Mar 13, 2026 8:39 PM UTC  The Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) are seen in the Backsjon area near the city of Umea in northern Sweden on Feb. 15, 2026. The Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) are seen in the Backsjon area near the city of Umea in northern Sweden on Feb. 15, 2026.Metin Aktas—Anadolu/Getty Images by [Chantelle Lee](https://time.com/author/chantelle-lee/) ## Chantelle Lee Reporter Mar 13, 2026 8:39 PM UTC If you’re in the right part of the U.S. on Friday night, you might be able to see the [Northern Lights](https://time.com/3749031/see-northern-lights-aurora-borealis-photos/). The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center is forecasting a possible minor geomagnetic storm from Friday into Saturday. That means that, if the conditions are optimal, people in certain regions might be able to spot the Northern Lights during this period. Here’s what to know about the celestial forecast this week, and where you might be able to see the Northern Lights. ## What are the Northern Lights? The Northern Lights, also known as the aurora borealis, are “colorful, dynamic, and often visually delicate displays of an intricate dance of particles and magnetism between the Sun and Earth called space weather,” according to [NASA](https://science.nasa.gov/sun/auroras/). “When energetic particles from space collide with atoms and molecules in the atmosphere, they can cause the colorful glow that we call auroras,” NASA explains. The Northern Lights are typically best sighted from high northern latitude regions, such as Alaska and northern Canada. But the lights may be visible farther south than usual during minor geomagnetic storms, like the one forecasted for this weekend. ## Where and when could you see the Northern Lights this week? The Northern Lights may be visible from 10 U.S. states on Friday night, according to [NOAA’s aurora forecast](https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/aurora-viewline-tonight-and-tomorrow-night-experimental): Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Maine. The forecast may change, though, so if you live in one of those states and want to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights, you should keep checking NOAA’s aurora forecast map for the latest information. If a stronger geomagnetic storm ends up taking place, then people in states even farther south might also be able to catch a glimpse of the phenomenon. ## How will you best be able to see the Northern Lights? As is the case for most celestial events, you need a clear and dark sky to catch sight of the Northern Lights. Find a location with a clear view of the northern horizon that is as far away from light pollution as possible. The most optimal time to see the Northern Lights is in the 3-4 hour period around midnight, meaning between 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. local time, according to the [University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute](https://www.gi.alaska.edu/monitors/aurora-forecast). Make sure to give your eyes some time to adapt to the darkness; [Space.com](https://www.space.com/stargazing/auroras/northern-lights-visible-9-states-tonight-march-13) recommends a minimum of 30 minutes. It also suggests using the camera on your phone to look at the sky, since the camera can often detect “faint auroral glows” that may be harder for your eyes alone to spot. You can use that as your guide for where you should look. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/03/13/northern-lights-us-states-tonight-where/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/03/13/northern-lights-us-states-tonight-where/"},"headline":"You Could See the Northern Lights in Parts of the U.S. This Week. 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