Northern Lights Spotted All Around New Jersey Thursday: See Reader Photos

NORTH JERSEY, NJ — Photographers and skywatchers across New Jersey sent photos to Patch of the Northern Lights early Thursday evening.

The colorful smears of light were visible in the Garden State around 7:30 p.m.

The National Weather Service in Mt. Holly shared this photo around 7:15 p.m. Commenters from across the state weighed in with photos they took of the colorful skies.

🤩 Here is our view of the aurora borealis (northern lights from our office around 7:15 PM! What are you seeing at your location? pic.twitter.com/F4DiNKaDsQ
— NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) October 10, 2024

Cloud cover and light pollution can play into the ability to view the lights.

Sometimes, they can't be seen with the naked eye, but can be caught on camera with a slow shutter speed.

The display of lights, also called aurora borealis, has been appearing to the naked eye in Canada and northern parts of the U.S. this year because the sun is at the peak of an 11-year cycle. During this "solar maximum," heightened geomagnetic storming increases the chances of seeing the aurora south of its usual Arctic range.

With more people on social media than back in 2013, and more reading news sites and using apps such as Aurora, the word has been spreading rapidly about the brilliant display, which some wait all their lives to see.

'Extreme' Levels Possible

The National Weather Service is predicting that the solar activity causing the Northern Lights will increase late Thursday into Friday. The Kp index could reach as high as 8.33 after sundown Thursday well into Friday.

"The greatest observed 3 hr Kp over the past 24 hours was 5 (NOAA Scale G1)," the NWS said. "The greatest expected 3 hr Kp for Oct 10-Oct 12 2024 is 8.33 (NOAA Scale G4)."

The auroral strength is measured by the Kp index, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center. In general, the chances of seeing the lights are best with a Kp index of at least 5, The Washington Post wrote in a story about aurora borealis tourism.

Chances of seeing northern lights generally increase around the fall equinox, when the sun produces a surplus of geomagnetic storms — almost twice the annual average — but this fall and the coming year should be especially spectacular as Solar Cycle 25 reaches its peak, which NOAA predicts will occur from November through March 2026.

Patch Editor Michele Rotuno-Johnson contributed to this story.