Maps of northern lights forecast show which U.S. states could see aurora borealis this weekend

Northern lights dazzle skies around the world

Northern lights dazzle skies around the world

03:13

The northern lights could dazzle millions of Americans in some northern states this weekend. An eruption of solar material from the sun earlier this week could lead to a show of the aurora borealis if the weather conditions are right, officials said.

The eruption, called a coronal mass ejection, prompted the federal government’s Space Weather Prediction Center in Colorado to issue a geomagnetic storm watch for Friday, Saturday and Sunday to alert people about potential disruptions to navigation, power and radio systems.

The northern lights can be seen just after sunset and just before sunrise, but it’s best to go out at night and away from city lights, according to the center.

The center recommends viewing the northern lights between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time. According to the center, the best times of the year to see the aurora borealis are around the spring and fall equinoxes. The fall equinox was on Sept. 22.

The northern lights could be seen as far south as Iowa, Oregon and Pennsylvania, according to the center.

If the conditions are right and the northern lights are bright, they can be seen from as far as 620 miles away, according to the center.

The center released a map showing the northern lights forecast for Friday night. The map illustrates the predicted intensity of the aurora borealis over North America with a line showing how far south the lights could be seen on the northern horizon.

Space Weather Prediction Center

Northern lights map for tomorrow night

The center also released a map for Saturday night.

Space Weather Prediction Center

Parts of the country were treated to the northern lights last spring when a powerful geomagnetic storm reached Earth. While the storm expected this weekend is considered to be strong, it’s not supposed to be as powerful as the one in May.

Michael Seamans/Getty Images

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Alex Sundby is a senior editor at CBSNews.com. In addition to editing content, Alex also covers breaking news, writing about crime and severe weather as well as everything from multistate lottery jackpots to the July Fourth hot dog eating contest.

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