Overview
- NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center has a geomagnetic‑storm watch for Thursday night into Friday, with a likely G1 event as a coronal mass ejection grazes Earth’s magnetic field.
- Auroras could be visible low on the northern horizon in up to 11 states: Alaska, northern Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Maine.
- Sunspot AR4366 fired multiple powerful flares, including an X8.3 on Feb. 1 and an X4.2 on Feb. 4, launching CMEs and increasing the chance of enhanced auroral activity.
- NASA released International Space Station footage showing bright green auroral ribbons over Earth, confirming active displays from orbit.
- Timing and intensity hinge on solar‑wind speed and the Bz magnetic orientation, so check NOAA’s 30‑minute aurora forecast; best viewing is typically 10 p.m.–2 a.m. from dark sites looking north, with only minor infrastructure impacts expected.