Northern lights may be visible in these 18 US states tonight and over the weekend

今晚和周末美国这18个州可能会看到北极光

The northern lights could put on a show tonight and through the weekend as ongoing geomagnetic storm conditions driven by turbulent space weather may push aurora farther south than usual.

北极光可能会在今晚和整个周末上演一场表演，因为由动荡的太空天气驱动的持续地磁风暴条件可能会将极光推得比平时更靠南。

Earth is currently reverberating from a solar storm impact that occurred overnight on June 12-13, during which moderate G2 geomagnetic storm levels were reached. A co-rotating interaction region (CIR) — a turbulent region in the solar wind in which fast-moving streams collide with slower wind ahead of them — is also on the way, with the effects expected around June 14.

地球目前正受到6月12日至13日夜间发生的太阳风暴影响的影响，在此期间达到了中度G2地磁风暴水平。同向旋转相互作用区（CIR）——太阳风中的一个湍流区域，快速移动的气流与前方较慢的风碰撞——也在路上，预计将在6月14日左右产生影响。

NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) has issued a moderate (G2) geomagnetic storm watch for June 14 due to the incoming solar wind from a large Earth-facing coronal hole. The U.K. Met Office echoes this forecast, predicting moderate (G2) geomagnetic storms on June 13-14, with activity expected to decline to unsettled levels by June 15-16.

由于来自一个面向地球的大型日冕洞的太阳风进入，NOAA的空间天气预报中心（SWPC）发布了6月14日的中度（G2）地磁风暴观察。英国气象局呼应了这一预测，预测6月13日至14日将出现中度(G2)地磁风暴，预计到6月15日至16日活动将下降至不稳定水平。

A G2 storm can shift the aurora oval — the ring-shaped zone where auroras typically form — farther south, allowing skywatchers across parts of the northern U.S. a chance to catch a glimpse of the elusive lights, weather and dark skies permitting. Geomagnetic storms are ranked using a G-scale, which ranges from G1 (minor) to G5 (extreme).

G2风暴可以将极光椭圆形（极光通常形成的环形区域）转移到更南的地方，让美国北部部分地区的天空观察者有机会在天气和黑暗的天空允许的情况下瞥见难以捉摸的灯光。地磁暴使用G级进行排名，范围从G1（轻微）到G5（极端）。

Below, we have listed 18 states that appear either fully or in part above the possible view line for auroras tonight, according to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center. They're ordered from most likely to least likely based on their proximity to the center of the auroral oval and how much of each state is within or near the view line.

根据NOAA太空天气预报中心的数据，下面我们列出了18个完全或部分出现在今晚极光可能视线上方的州。根据它们与极光椭圆形中心的接近程度以及每个状态在视线内或附近的程度，它们从最有可能到最不可能排序。

Keep in mind, auroras are fickle. Sometimes they show up much farther south than expected and other times they don't appear at all. Many conditions have to align for the perfect display.

记住，极光是变化无常的。有时它们出现在比预期更南边的地方，而其他时候它们根本不会出现。为了完美的显示，许多条件必须一致。

Alaska

阿拉斯加州

Montana

蒙大拿州

North Dakota

北达科他州

Minnesota

明尼苏达州

Wisconsin

威斯康星州

Michigan

密歇根州

South Dakota

南达科他州

Maine

缅因州

Vermont

佛蒙特州

New Hampshire

新罕布什尔州

Idaho

爱达荷州

Washington

华盛顿州

Oregon

俄勒冈州

New York

纽约

Massachusetts

马萨诸塞州

Connecticut

康涅狄格州

Rhode Island

罗德岛

Wyoming

怀俄明州

Viewing conditions also depend on more than just geomagnetic activity. Cloud cover, light pollution, and the brief summer night can all affect visibility.

观看条件也不仅仅取决于地磁活动。云量、光污染和短暂的夏夜都会影响能见度。

If you find yourself in one of the 18 states listed above (or simply want to try your luck) head to a dark, north-facing spot away from city lights. As we approach the summer solstice on June 20/21, nights are growing shorter, so your best window for viewing may be in the early morning hours, around 1 to 2 a.m.

如果你发现自己在上面列出的18个州之一（或者只是想试试运气），去一个远离城市灯光的黑暗、朝北的地方。随着6月20/21日夏至的临近，夜晚越来越短，所以你的最佳观赏窗口可能是在凌晨1点到2点左右。

Interested in tracking space weather and knowing when and where to spot auroras? Download a space weather app that provides forecasts based on your location. One option I use is "My Aurora Forecast & Alerts," available for both iOS and Android. However, any similar app should work well. I also use the "Space Weather Live" app, which is available on iOS and Android, to get a deeper understanding of whether the current space weather conditions are favorable for aurora sightings.

对跟踪太空天气和知道何时何地发现极光感兴趣吗？下载一个太空天气应用程序，根据你的位置提供天气预报。我使用的一个选项是“我的极光预测和警报”，适用于iOS和Android。但是，任何类似的应用程序都应该运行良好。我还使用iOS和Android上都有的“太空天气直播”应用程序，以更深入地了解当前的太空天气条件是否有利于极光观测。

Editor's note: If you snap a great picture of the northern or southern lights and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

编者按：如果你拍了一张很棒的北极光或南极光照片，并想与Space.com的读者分享，请将你的照片、评论、姓名和位置发送到spacephotos@space.com。