Three solar eruptions are hurling coronal mass ejections toward Earth, bringing a strong chance of visible northern lights across northern North America and several northern U.S. states. NOAA has issued a G2 geomagnetic storm watch for October 9 as the charged plasma arrives following activity from sunspot region AR4549.
Stargazers across Canada and the northern United States are preparing for another potential celestial show this week. Space weather forecasters are tracking multiple solar disturbances that erupted earlier in the week from a magnetically complex active region on the Sun. The solar wind, a continuous stream of charged particles expelled by the Sun, pelts the worlds of our Solar System, which experiences periodic 11-year cycles featuring alternating maximums and minimums referred to as the solar cycle. Because humanity is currently past the peak of a solar cycle, known as the solar maximum, aurora displays have increased in frequency and strength.
Sunspot Region AR4549 Triggers Multiple Coronal Mass Ejections
Active Region 4549, situated near the middle of the solar disk facing Earth, launched a moderate M1.4-class solar flare early Tuesday, October 6, 2026, which immediately preceded two massive solar storms breaking away from the Sun. Coronagraph views from early on October 6 showed two coronal mass ejections erupting from the Sun roughly four hours apart. The Solar Influences Data Analysis Center detected the CME as a faint, almost full-halo eruption and estimated its projected speed at about 560 kilometers per second. According to NOAA’s forecast discussion, the flare coincided with a Type II radio sweep and a coronal mass ejection initially spotted in Solar and Heliospheric Observatory data. A third eruption later in the week added to the incoming activity.
A burst of solar material released on September 28 was also expected to skim past Earth late Thursday, October 1, into early Friday, October 2. The Met Office noted a possibility of the arrival of a glancing blow from another coronal mass ejection on Saturday, October 10, or early October 11. Because these solar eruptions travel across millions of miles in quick succession, forecasting exact arrival windows remains particularly challenging, and observers are advised not to limit their northern lights hunt to initial forecast windows.
NOAA Issues G2 Geomagnetic Storm Watch for October 9
Anticipating the approaching plasma clouds, the Space Weather Prediction Center operated by NOAA put out a G2-level moderate geomagnetic storm watch scheduled for October 9, predicting that Earth’s encounter with the CME will bring conditions ranging from G1 minor to G2 moderate levels. Preliminary analysis indicated an Earth-directed component, and NOAA’s forecast points to G1 conditions between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. EDT on the night of October 8 into October 9, followed by a possible G2 peak between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. EDT. Daylight will limit viewing during the later window across much of the United States.
The intensity of these events is measured using the Kp index scale from zero to 9. A Kp value of 5 is usually good enough to set off auroras in Northern Lower Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, while a Kp value of 6 corresponds to a moderate G2 event.
G1 (Minor) to G2 (Moderate) geomagnetic storms are likely on 09 Oct with the arrival of a (coronal mass ejection) that was associated with a M1.4 flare from Active Region 4549 on 06 Oct.
Space Weather Prediction Center, NOAA
Visibility Prospects Across U.S. States and Canadian Provinces
Encompassing British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada, all three territories and ten provinces across Canada lie within the optimal viewing belt for North America, where clear skies should afford nationwide visibility. Dar Tanner, an aurora and storm chaser in central Alberta, posted photographs of the Northern Lights to Threads from the morning of Monday, October 5, 2026.
NOAA notes that G2 auroras have previously reached New York and Idaho, though such history does not guarantee visibility during every storm. Additional states that could see activity if conditions line up include parts of Oregon, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and New York.
Drive to Rural Locations to Escape Light Pollution
To escape disruptive light pollution, stargazers should plan a drive lasting roughly half an hour to forty-five minutes toward remote countryside locations, rural bodies of water, or dark-sky provincial parks that offer an unblocked line of sight looking toward the northern horizon. Positioning yourself on an elevated ridge or near the southern shore of a body of water can help eliminate ground-level light pollution.
Fortunately, the timing of this event is enhanced by the phase of the Moon, as it is timed just before the New Moon on October 10.
When a substorm strikes, the Northern Lights can suddenly burst into view directly above, persist anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes—or occasionally stretch past an hour—before fading away as the display retreats northward.
- Allow your eyes about 20 minutes in total darkness without checking bright phone screens so your natural night vision can kick in.
- Switch your smartphone camera to Night Mode, Pro Mode, or set a 3-to-5-second exposure time.
- Hold the device completely still on a car hood or tripod to let smartphone camera sensors capture vivid greens and purples on your screen.
“Oxygen excited to different energy levels can produce green and red,” said NASA.
NASA
Green is the most commonly observed color, although stronger displays can produce red, pink, purple, and other hues depending on which gas is being excited and how much energy is exchanged. With sunspot regions AR4549 and AR4545 remaining active on the Earth-facing side of the Sun, stargazers should monitor real-time updates and check short-term forecasts from resources like NOAA, My Aurora Forecast & Alerts
, or Space Weather Live
as the weekend CME encounter unfolds.
