Hi Rachael,

The aurora borealis (northern lights) and the aurora australis (southern lights) are generally seen in ring-shaped regions around the Earth's north and south magnetic poles called the auroral zones. The auroral zones are typically located between 60 and 70 degrees latitude in each hemisphere. People who live at high latitudes in places like Alaska and Canada can see the aurora borealis quite often. You can see the current boundaries of the auroral zones estimated from NOAA POES satellite data here: http://www.sec.noaa.gov/pmap/ .

During strong geomagnetic storms, the auroral zones can expand to much lower latitudes and the northern lights can be visible over much of the United States. Scientists use geomagnetic indices, such as the Kp index to classify the current level of geomagnetic activity and determine where the aurora will be visible. The NOAA Space Environment Center has a nice web page explaining the level of geomagnetic activity needed in order for the aurora to be visible at different latitudes at http://www.sec.noaa.gov/Aurora/index.html . If you scroll down this page, you will find clickable maps of the different parts of the world that can tell you what Kp index is needed to see the aurora where you live. Here is a link to the map for people who live in North America: http://www.sec.noaa.gov/Aurora/globeNW.html .

Kris