Want to see the northern lights in Arizona? Here's where and when to look

Crossing the northern lights off your bucket list won't require you to plan journeys to Alaska, Canada or Scandinavia to see the spectacular, colorful sight.

You might be able to see them in metro Phoenix.

The northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, are occurring more frequently as the sun reaches a point in its 11-year cycle known as a solar maximum. This cycle increases the frequency of the geomagnetic storms that lead to auroras, like the late April event where the northern lights could be seen as far as south Tucson.

As these sightings become more common nationwide, here's how and where to see the northern lights in Arizona.

Sneak preview: See renderings for the planned International Dark Sky Discovery Center in Fountain Hills

Can you see the northern lights in Arizona?

Yes, but it's not common.

In April and May this year, Arizona residents reported glimpses of the northern lights. Sightings of northern lights are becoming more common in the United States, but Arizona didn't make the list of 17 states that would be able to view these stunning skies in early July.

The northern lights are named for their origin point at the North Pole and they typically appear more frequently in places closer to the Earth's poles, which explains why people are more likely to see the northern lights in places like Alaska and Canada, according to the Library of Congress.

It's even rarer to see the aurora boreals directly, said Katrina Bossert, assistant professor of Earth and space exploration at Arizona State University. When people see the northern lights, they're looking at the aurora on the horizon, not directly overhead.

Why are the northern lights visible in Arizona?

The northern lights can be seen in Arizona because of the severity of recent geomagnetic storms where the auroras come from, according to the National Weather Service's Space Weather Prediction Center.

It starts when the sun's corona, or the outermost part of its atmosphere, releases a large amount of plasma and magnetic field, according to the weather service. This phenomenon is known as a coronal mass ejection, called CME for short.

When CMEs interact with Earth's magnetic field, this causes geomagnetic storms.

Depending on a storm's severity, auroras can be visible farther south than is typical. The storm that caused the northern lights to appear over Tucson was rated a G4, or severe, geomagnetic storm on a scale of 1 to 5.

Bossert expects more severe geomagnetic storms will occur as the sun approaches its solar maximum.

The Space Weather Prediction Center is currently predicting geomagnetic effects from CMEs that erupted on May 7 and May 9. The associated storms were rated G2 (moderate) and G3 (strong).

Comet spotter: Meet the 90-year-old Flagstaff woman who has discovered more comets than almost anyone alive

Where is the best place to see the northern lights in Arizona?

It depends on a measurement called the Planetary K-index, which is based on the strength of geomagnetic storms and their impacts on the Earth's magnetic field.

A higher measurement means the aurora will be visible farther south than usual. During April's aurora, the Planetary K-index peaked at 8.

Your best chances of seeing the northern lights in Arizona are in places with little to no light pollution. These include cities like Flagstaff and Sedona and public lands like Grand Canyon National Park and Tonto National Monument. All are recognized as dark sky places by the International Dark-Sky Association.

You can view northern lights forecasts from the Space Weather Prediction Center at swpc.noaa.gov/communities/aurora-dashboard-experimental.

What is the best time to see the northern lights?

Generally speaking, the best time to view the northern lights is from 10 p.m. to midnight, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center.

To see the northern lights, view them from a location with as unobstructed a view as possible along the northern horizon.

It matters to look north because the aurora will be visible in the direction of the closest pole (in this case, the North Pole).

"People should be patient — it's not something that will happen for an hour," Bossert said. "Even though these storms are strong, we’re just seeing part of the magnetic field and particle participation being seen this far south."

Reach the reporter at Michael.Salerno@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salerno_phx.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Can you see the northern lights in Arizona? Here's everything to know