SALT LAKE CITY — An appearance of the famed Northern Lights will be seen in places incredibly close to Utah this week. Maybe... maybe... the Beehive State itself, though don't bet the house or even a penny on it.
A geomagnetic storm caused by a large coronal mass ejection from the sun is allowing the Northern Lights to appear in areas it's rarely seen, even as close as Idaho and Wyoming.
The National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA) issued a geomagnetic storm watch from Wednesday to Friday. States as far as south as New York, Illinois and Pennsylvania are expected be in a for a treat.
But odds the phenomenon scientifically known as the aurora borealis is seen in Utah are very small, although there's always a chance.
In the map below, the full green mass indicates the furthest south the Northern Lights will be seen. Utah is just outside the boundary, but it's awfully close.
If you want to give seeing the spectacular light show in the northern part of the state a shot, look north just above the horizon. The further you are from light pollution, the better.
The aurora borealis can been seen all night long with only large clouds able to ruin the show.
