Northern lights in US were dim compared to 'last time mother nature showed off': What to know

The northern lights made its second appearance in May, but the lights didn’t shine as bright in the northern parts of the United States.

The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center said that the Moderate (G2) Geomagnetic Storm Watch would be from late May 31 to early June 1. Just for context, the May 10 storm was rated a G5 and viewable from all 50 states. Next week, sky gazers may get another chance at getting a better glimpse of the northern lights. But forecasters say it's too soon to know for certain.

Those wishing to see the northern lights should monitor the prediction center's website for updates and conditions.

Although the show was a little disappointing compared to the last time, some still managed to take to social media to capture what they saw.

Northern lights: A big northern lights show above the US? Maybe. Forecasters keeping an eye on early June.

Last stunning northern lights show on May 10

The event on May 10 offered a rare sight not just here in the U.S. but across the world. Strong solar flares the sun had been emitting two days before the event were responsible for the northern lights being visible across a wide swath of North America and Europe. Conditions were a G5 which were extreme. The last extreme event occurred with the "Halloween storms" in October 2003.

What are the northern lights?

The northern lights are a luminous glow seen around the magnetic poles of the northern and southern hemispheres, according to the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute. Known for creating ribbons of colorful light in the night sky, the aurora borealis are polar lights, or aurora polaris, that appear in the northern hemisphere.

The southern hemisphere has its own polar lights known as the southern lights, or aurora australis, which create their own dazzling display.

Contributing: Mary Walrath-Holdridge, JJ Hensley

Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on the National Trending Team at USA TODAY. Ahjané covers breaking news, car recalls, crime, health, lottery and public policy stories. Email her at [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram, Threads and X (Twitter).

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Northern lights in US weren't visible like last time. Here's why.