The Northern Lights decorate U.S. skies during geomagnetic storm

The Northern Lights have been illuminating skies across the U.S. this week, and some lucky spectators may get another chance to see the aurora borealis into Thursday. The big picture: Intense G4 geomagnetic conditions, the second-highest on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's five-step scale, produced magnetic conditions that were "eight times stronger than what's normal" on Tuesday night, NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center forecaster Shawn Dahl said in a video on X. Auroras over Daqing, in the Heilongjiang province of China on Nov. 13. "Strong solar wind speed and periods of favorable magnetic field orientation are driving up geomagnetic storms to G1-G3; with G4 still possible tonight," per a post to X by NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center. Photo: VCG/VCG via Getty Images The Northern Lights over Bad Zwischenahn, in the low-lying Ammerland district of Lower Saxony, Germany. Coronal mass ejections (CME) have erupted from the Sun, sending charged particles hurtling towards Earth, leading to the auroras. Photo: Markus Hibbeler/picture alliance via Getty Images The aurora borealis glows over Bloomington, Indiana, as a strong geomagnetic storm from recent solar activity pushes the Northern Lights unusually far south on Nov. 12. Displays have since the previous evening been reported across the U.S., including in Texas, Alabama, Georgia and north Florida. Photo: Jeremy Hogan/Getty Images The aurora borealis over Monroe, Wisconsin, on Nov. 11 during one of the strongest solar storms in decades. Photo: Ross Harried/NurPhoto/Getty Images The aurora borealis in shades of red over Petamula, California, on Nov. 11. Photo: Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle/Getty Images The scene in Monroe, Wisconsin, on Nov. 11. Photo: Ross Harried/NurPhoto/Getty Images A rural area of Bloomington, Indiana, saw deep shades of red heading into Wednesday. Photo: Jeremy Hogan/Getty Images Spectators in Morris County, New Jersey, caught a glimpse of the lights on Nov. 12. Photo: Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu/Getty ImagesFlashback: In photos: Northern Lights dazzle skiesEditor's note: This article has been updated with more photos and further context.