"Northern Lights to Illuminate Multiple U.S. States This Week, Including Maryland and Idaho"

A solar storm forecasted for Thursday is expected to make the Northern Lights, also known as aurora borealis, visible in 17 American states, including Maryland. The 11-year solar cycle, peaking in 2024, is causing the lights to be visible in places farther south. The Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks has forecasted auroral activity in several states, 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.