From People:
As soon as it gets dark on Monday, Oct. 27, auroras could shimmer across parts of the northern U.S. and Canada, adorning the night with colorful ribbons of violet and green. The northern lights (aurora borealis) are caused by geomagnetic storms, which occur when charged particles from the sun collide with gases in earth’s atmosphere, creating brilliant waves of light in the sky. Still, their visibility depends on several factors, including intensity and location. According to NASA and NOAA, solar activity has peaked since late 2024 and will likely reach “solar maximum” in 2026. Solar maximum refers to the “highest rate of solar activity during the sun’s approximately 11-year solar cycle,” per Space.com.