According to experts, 2024 may be one of the best years to see displays of northern lights in Minnesota in over a decade. And if it comes to pass, it will all be courtesy of our friendly neighborhood Sun.

Auroral displays - the aurora borealis in the northern hemisphere and aurora australis in the southern hemisphere - occur when bursts of solar radiation interact with the earth's magnetic fields.
Luis Argerich/Flickr
The brilliance of the aurora can usually be predicted by the strength of a geomagnetic storm launched from the sun.
The stronger the storm, the brighter and farther reaching (i.e., visible at lower latitudes) the auroral display may be.
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Flickr
The sun is currently in an 11-year solar cycle that began in 2019. At the outset, scientists predicted this solar cycle would be relatively weak like the previous cycle.
In the fall of 2023, however, forecasters revised their predictions.
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center/Flickr
The cycle is now expected to reach peak solar activity - with much more and much stronger activity than originally forecast - in 2024.

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This means that Minnesotans may be treated to even more frequent northern lights displays.
Dusty J/Flickr
Not only will they be more frequent, there is a good likelihood they will be more intense, as well.
Trent Jonas/OnlyInYourState
This means that instead of a dim glow on the horizon, we may be able to see dancing shafts of colorful light directly overhead, filling the sky, across more of Minnesota.
imagenusphoto/Flickr

Of course, the northern part of the state will still get the best shows, but the fact that the northern lights will be more visible and brighter across more of the state is still pretty cool. Keep an an eye on NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center. When the planetary K index is at 5 or above, the likelihood of a visible aurora in Minnesota is decent. If the index is 7 or above, then make sure to find a dark place with an unobstructed northern view, like the south shore of a lake. There are a handful of dark sky spots in Minnesota, including an area near McGregor, the Boundary Waters, and Voyageurs National Park. These are great places for viewing the aurora. The best northern lights viewing tends to happen in during the colder, darker months, so be sure to pack all you’ll need to stay warm.

Have you gone aurora hunting in the Land of 10,000 Lakes? What’s your favorite place for viewing the northern lights in Minnesota? Let us know in the comments!

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