Northern lights could be visible in more than a dozen US states this week

A geomagnetic storm forecast could make aurora borealis more visible at lower latitudes

The northern lights may present themselves in more than a dozen states this week as a geomagnetic storm makes them more visible at lower latitudes than usual.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the lights - also known as aurora borealis - have the potential to be seen, weather permitting, in parts of Washington, Idaho, Vermont, Wyoming, New Hampshire, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Massachusetts, Maryland, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Maine, according to forecasters at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.