It’s been a great year for the Northern Lights, but will 2025 be as fruitful? In the wake of North America’s total solar eclipse on April 8, there were global displays of aurora, most notably on May 10 and October 10, and plenty of other smaller displays seen closer to the U.S.-Canada border.
The cause is the solar wind, a stream of charged particles from the sun interacting with Earth’s magnetic field. They’re super-charged by a coronal mass ejection — a cloud of charged particles — that travels to Earth over a few days. With the sun now at solar maximum, according to an announcement by NASA and NOAA in October, solar activity is at its strongest for at least 11 years, and according to scientists, it’s at a 23-year high.
But what happens next? Will it continue?
Northern Lights In 2025: Why The Science Suggests A Vintage Year
“We are still in solar maximum, which lasts a few years,” said Wil Cheung, who gives highly accurate aurora alerts to his followers on his popular Wil Photography channel on Instagram and Facebook, in an email. “How we know we reach the peak is the positions of sunspots on the sun’s surface.” Sunspots are mostly close to the sun’s equator during solar maximum, which can be observed right now by anyone with a pair of solar eclipse glasses.
However, there are reasons to believe that we’re not actually quite at solar maximum. “While the sunspots on the sun’s Northern Hemisphere are now very close to its equator, the Southern Hemisphere’s sunspots aren’t quite there yet,” said Cheung. “It’s common for a lag to occur [but] this indicates we should have a few more years yet of storms.”
A prolonged period of heightened solar activity significantly increases the likelihood of auroras occurring, making 2025 a very promising year.
Northern Lights In 2025: Aurora At Lower Latitude Auroras: A Rare Treat
Astrophotograph Dan Zafra’s Capture The Atlas recently ran a competition for the best northern lights images of 2024, which revealed that aurora appeared very close to the equator, notably from Spitzkoppe in Namibia, at 21 degrees below the equator and from Tenerife, 28 degrees above the equator.
The potential for auroras at lower latitudes again in 2025 is excellent. “Even if the aurora is not the primary component of the trip, I’d keep an eye on places at lower latitudes where aurora displays are possible,” said Zafra. That means states at higher latitudes in the U.S. lower 48, such as Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, or in countries at lower latitudes in Europe like the U.K., Denmark and Germany.
This opens up exciting possibilities for those in regions where auroras are uncommon. However, it’s crucial to remember the differences between low-latitude displays and those in the Arctic: “The aurora displays in the U.S. lower 48 have been great, with Northern Lights visible even in states like Arizona or New Mexico,” he said. “However, these are usually limited to a faint glow on the horizon with some sporadic spikes or pulsating lights. If you want to maximize your chances of seeing the Northern Lights overhead at zenith, with its striking coronas and long shows, the Arctic is still the best place to go.”
Northern Lights In 2025: Where to Go for the Best Aurora Views
Although it is possible to glimpse auroras from the U.S. and Europe, the traditional hotspots for aurora viewing still apply. “The best places to visit are still those around the auroral oval like Alaska, Scandinavia, Iceland, or the South Island of New Zealand and Tasmania in the Southern Hemisphere,” said Zafra.
Cheung has some advice for those considering whether to wait for the aurora to come to them or travel to polar regions. “While solar maximum does mean more storms, which bring the aurora oval to more southern latitudes, you will not only continue to see aurora at more polar regions — even during solar minimum — but with a more active sun, the frequency of storms increases,” he said. “So your chances of seeing good aurora storms are higher during solar maximum.”
The conclusion is simple: if you want to see the finest aurora displays it’s possible to see, 2025 is the perfect year to head north to the Arctic Circle. Stay put, and you’ll have a great chance of seeing the occasional glow on the horizon and, if you’re really lucky, a sporadic spike. Either way, a vintage year for Northern Lights looks highly possible.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
