When will be the next chance to see the northern lights in New Jersey and beyond?

As captivating images of the aurora borealis dancing across the sky circulated last weekend, residents are left pondering if another opportunity to witness this cosmic spectacle might arise.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a rare Severe Geomagnetic Storm Watch starting Friday that continued through the weekend. It led to the northern lights being visible this past weekend for much of the United States, including some views from New Jersey.

Will the northern lights be visible tonight?

Unfortunately the answer seems to be no. According to the Space Weather Prediction Center, minor to moderate geomagnetic storms are likely expected and G1 conditions are likely on Wednesday, as CME influence wanes.

National Weather Service meteorologist Amanda Lee said the conditions that left an increase to geometric activity, are now turning downward in the area.

"Not to mention tonight we're expecting widespread showers across the area, gradually moving out tomorrow afternoon with some showers to linger to Thursday," Lee said.

When will we see the northern lights next?

The recent captivating display of geometric storms could become a more frequent occurrence in the coming years, thanks to the “solar maximum” which will occur next year, USA TODAY reported.

According to NASA, the next peak is in July 2025.

What are northern lights?

NOAA says a big cluster of sunspots has been throwing out several strong solar flares since Wednesday. About five of these flares were linked to coronal mass ejections, which are blasts of plasma and magnetic fields from the sun's surface. These CMEs seem to be headed our way and could cause geomagnetic storms.

"Geomagnetic storms can impact infrastructure in near-Earth orbit and on Earth’s surface, potentially disrupting communications, the electric power grid, navigation, radio and satellite operations," NOAA officials said on their website. "Space Weather Prediction Center has notified the operators of these systems so they can take protective action."

"Geomagnetic storms can also trigger spectacular displays of aurora on Earth," officials continued. "A severe geomagnetic storm includes the potential for aurora to be seen as far south as Alabama and Northern California."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Northern lights: Your next chance to see aurora borealis