The Northern Lights are caused by the solar wind, a stream of charged particles from the sun interacting with Earth’s magnetic field. As charged particles strike Earth’s magnetic field, they accelerate down its magnetic field lines at the north and south poles to create ovals of green and red.

Join me on an unforgettable trip filled with breathtaking auroras and exciting daytime adventures with The Northern Lights Company.

A northern lights map shows any state caught in the red view line could see the aurora over the next two nights.

A smattering of northern states will have a chance to see aurora borealis on Friday night—but another geomagnetic storm is expected to bring the phenomenon further south this weekend, according to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast, making the northern lights visible to a much larger population.

While the current active solar cycle is in full force, measured as an 11-year period, the sun continues to unleash strong solar flares, adding to the possibility of another spectacular northern lights display again this weekend with the farthest south view line forecasted for Friday, Oct. 18.

The Northern Lights, known as aurora borealis, occur almost every night of the year in the Arctic area, but in Ireland, we only have a very small chance of seeing them