See where the northern lights can be spotted ahead of Christmas Eve
- - See where the northern lights can be spotted ahead of Christmas Eve
James Powel, USA TODAYDecember 24, 2025 at 4:09 AM
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Those keeping an early eye out for Santa Claus may catch a glimpse of a colorful night sky as the northern lights could be visible in parts of the country on Tuesday, Dec. 23.
The Space Weather Prediction Center's forecasted view line for the lights does not extend as far south as it did on Dec. 22; however, parts of seven states should be able to see them again on the penultimate day before Christmas.
The center said a minor geomagnetic storm is forecast due to effects from the sun and strong solar winds.
Forecasters say the winds will continue through Thursday, Dec. 25. They add that additional "enhancements" could arrive Dec. 24 due to a large expulsion of plasma and magnetic field from the sun's corona called a coronal mass ejection. Those enhancements would give Nochebuena a colorful astral backdrop.
According to the prediction center, the best time to view the northern lights will be between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time. It adds that moving away from light pollution provides a better opportunity for seeing the lights.
Here's where the northern lights may be visible on Tuesday, Dec. 23.
1 / 112025 was a year of cosmic discoveries. Here's a look back at 6NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope last observed come 3I/ATLAS on Nov. 30, about four months after Hubble's first look at the interstellar comet. 3I/ATLAS became one of the biggest cosmic stories of the year when astronomers deemed it to be the third-ever discovered interstellar object in our solar system originating from an entirely different part of the galaxy.See northern lights forecast
A northern lights forecast for Dec. 23, 2025 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center.States that may see the northern lights on Dec. 23
The Space Weather Center's forecast indicates that the northern lights could be seen in parts of the following states:
Alaska
Idaho
Minnesota
Montana
North Dakota
Washington state
Wisconsin
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 7 states are forecast to see northern lights on Dec. 23. See list.
Source: “AOL Breaking”
