New Jersey Has Prime Seats for Tonight's Aurora Borealis

The Northern lights will be on display tonight for the top half of the United States. A small sliver of the mid-Atlantic should get the best view.

The Northern lights will be on display tonight for the top half of the United States, thanks to a Thursday morning solar flare. A small sliver of the mid-Atlantic should get the best view.

I'm not exactly sure how that all works, so here's Accuweather's Samantha-Rae Tuthill to explain:

On the Kp index, the flare has been categorized at 6 to 8. This is a scale for measuring the intensity of a a geomagnetic storm. The 6 to 8 rating means that the effects of the radiation will have a greater reach.

Oh. Hmm. Perhaps meteorologist Gary Szatkowsi can help:

“We are seeing only moderate storm activity right now,” he said. “The rating for these storms is G1-G5, with G1 being the lowest.”

Szatkowski said right now the storm is rating a G2, which is moderate.

Okay, here's a pretty simple map, also courtesy of Accuweather:

If you're in the visible zone and want to see them for yourself, 8 pm EDT is estimated to be the prime borealis time -- though, as with most things Mother Nature, it's impossible to pinpoint an exact time.