There's still a chance to see northern lights in some states tonight: Here's what to know

The northern lights revealed themselves to a handful of U.S. states Tuesday night, but if you missed out, you may still have a chance to catch a glimpse tonight.

A powerful solar storm has sent particles flowing from the sun that are interacting with Earth's magnetosphere in ways that are triggering the northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis. While the solar storm could pose a minimal threat to things like satellites, GPS signals and power grids, the activity means the luminous green and red glow of the auroras may be more widely visible than is typical.

Canadians and residents of Alaska still have the best views of northern lights, but several northern U.S. states should still be able to have a coveted view of the stunning light display Wednesday night.

Here's what to know about the northern lights and how to see them.

Where will the auroras be visible?

For most of the time, auroras are best seen around the magnetic poles of the Northern and Southern hemispheres in Europe, Asia and North America. In the U.S., Alaska is well known to have the best viewing opportunities for the northern lights.

But a solar storm tracked by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has make the auroras visible farther from the poles.

The geomagnetic activity detected by NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center has a Kp index of 5, meaning the northern lights will also be brighter, according to the agency.

"If you are in the right place, these aurora can be quite pleasing to look at," NOAA says.

In the U.S., the auroras became widely visible Tuesday, and may still visible Wednesday to at least parts of the following states:

• Washington

• Idaho

• Montana

• North Dakota

• Minnesota

• Wisconsin

A thin red "viewline" representing the southern-most locations from which you may see the aurora on the northern horizon extends to:

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• Wyoming

• South Dakota

• Iowa

• Michigan

• New York

• Vermont

• New Hampshire

• Maine

When is the best time to see the northern lights?

Even though conditions are prime for more impending aurora shows, experts have long struggled to accurately forecast exactly when and where the phenomenon will ever occur. Even the best predictions can accurately be made only a few days or even hours in advance.

But as a rule of thumb, if the weather is clear, the best aurora is usually visible within an hour or two of midnight, according to NOAA. And if it looks as if the northern lights will flare up near you, you should get away from cities and travel to dark locations free from light pollution so you can best see them.

The agency also maintains an aurora dashboard that should help skygazers track the phenomenon. NOAA's 30-minute aurora forecastmay be particularly useful for regular updates on viewing opportunities.

What causes the northern lights?

The auroras are a natural light display in Earth's sky that are famously best seen in high-latitude regions of the Northern and Southern hemispheres.

The phenomenon is caused when electrically charged particles from space enter Earth's atmosphere and collide with molecules and gases like oxygen and nitrogen, causing the atmospheric particles to gain energy. To return to their normal state, the particles release that energy in the form of light, according to the University of Alaska at Fairbanks Geophysical Institute website, which tracks the phenomenon.

As auroras form, Earth's magnetic field redirects the particles toward the poles through a process that produces a stunning display of rays, spirals and flickers that have fascinated humans for millennia. Whether hues of green, red, blue and even pink dance about in the sky depends on the altitude where the collisions occur, as well as the composition and density of the atmosphere at the time.

Why northern lights activity is increasing

Now that the sun is at the height of its 11-year cycle, the increase in solar activity has more frequently fueled "space weather" that produces the right conditions for northern lights to flourish.

Regions of intense magnetic activity known as sunspots are proliferating on the solar surface and are capable of releasing intense bursts of radiation resulting in solar flares that can hurtle toward Earth at the speed of light, according to NOAA. Some of the flares can be accompanied by coronal mass ejections, or clouds of plasma and charged particles, that emerge from the sun's outermost atmosphere, the corona.

These ejections can collide with Earth’s magnetosphere, the barrier protecting humanity from the harshest effects of space weather, to produce geomagnetic storms that unleash spectacular views of the northern lights in parts of the country where auroras are not often visible.

What's more, because NASA expects the solar maximum to continue into 2025, aurora chasers should have plenty more opportunities to catch the northern lights.