Giant Solar Hole Could Bring Northern Lights Across Several U.S. States This Weekend

A large coronal hole opened in the Sun’s atmosphere, sending high-speed solar wind toward Earth and potentially lighting up the Northern Lights across several northern U.S. states Friday night into Saturday morning (Idaho to New York). NOAA forecasts gusty geomagnetic activity (possible G2 storm), which could cause visible auroras under darker skies aided by a new moon. The auroras result from solar particles interacting with Earth’s atmosphere near the poles, driven by coronal holes and related solar wind structures.