"Rare Solar Storm to Illuminate Northern Lights in Multiple US States"

A solar storm forecast for Thursday is expected to make the Northern Lights, also known as aurora borealis, visible in 17 American states, including Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Indiana, Maine, and Maryland. The Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks has forecast auroral activity, and the best viewing times are between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time. The lights occur when a magnetic solar wind interacts with the Earth's magnetic field, causing atoms in the upper atmosphere to glow.