Northern Lights could light up across the US this weekend thanks to a giant hole in the Sun’s atmosphere — here’s where to see them

We could be in for a Northern lightshow of epic proportions.

Stargazers could potentially glimpse the aurora borealis in parts of the Northern US this Friday and Saturday, thanks to a large hole that’s opened up in the Sun’s atmosphere.

“The aurora may become visible over some Northern and upper Midwest states from New York to Idaho,” wrote the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center in a Facebook post.

They explained that this luminous display can be traced back to a large hole that appeared in the sun’s corona, the outermost layer of its atmosphere, according to Spaceweather.com.

The hole that opened up in the sun this week. NASA/SDO/AIA

These “coronal holes,” as they’re called, are where the sun’s magnetic fields open up, allowing solar wind to escape into the cosmos at high speeds known as High Speed Streams (HSS).

When these solar wind bursts arrive on Earth, elevated Geomagnetic activity can occur. NOAA is predicting that this these latest HSS’ could result in a Moderate (G2) storm conditions from 5pm EST Friday until roughly 2am EST Saturday.

This could result in minor to moderate radio blackouts and, of course, powerful auroras.

“The aurora may become visible over some Northern and upper Midwest states from New York to Idaho,” wrote the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center in a Facebook post. NOAA NWS Space Weather Prediction Center¿

The latter is generated when the charged particles from the sun interact with the magnetic field lines toward the poles, crashing into the nitrogen and oxygen molecules and prompting them to emit energy in the form of shimmering lights.

Along with the Empire State and Idaho, the geomagnetic fireworks display could be visible in Alaska, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, North and South Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin, Livescience reported.

It could also potentially grace the skies in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oregon, Vermont and Wyoming.

The viewing conditions could be enhanced by the dark sky during Friday’s new moon. As space weather forecasts are quite fickle, stargazers are encouraged to monitor NOAA’s aurora dashboard for the most up-to-date info.

The aurora can be captured using a mirrorless or DSLR camera or by using the Night Mode or Pro Mode settings on the newest smartphones, Forbes reported.

For optimal results, aurora hunters are urged to use their main lens rather than the ultra-wide setting and stabilize.