Northern Lights May Be Visible In New England Friday Night

MASSACHUSETTS — A solar storm may bring the Northern Lights into view in New England late Friday into Saturday morning, giving locals a chance to see the cosmic spectacle yet again this spring.

The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center has issued a moderate G2 solar storm forecast for May 31 and June 1, predicting that the aurora borealis viewing line will extend as far south as central Vermont and New Hampshire. The aurora happens when particles ejected from the sun during a solar storm collide with Earth's magnetic field.

Near May 10, the Space Weather Prediction Center issued a severe geomagnetic storm watch for the first time since 2005. Five large coronal mass ejections made the aurora plainly visible in southern New England and as far south as Florida.

Viewing chances on Friday in New England will be good. The National Weather Service is predicting clear skies overnight into early Saturday morning.

There's a chance for more aurora viewings in June. The sunspot called Active Region 3664, which was responsible for the aurora sightings around May 10, will rotate back around to be facing Earth by June 6. Since AR 3664 is hidden, it's hard to predict if it will produce the same solar show it did in May, according to Space.com.