Hoping to see the northern lights near Iowa? That chance this week had faded away.

Victoria Reyna-Rodriguez, Des Moines Register
Updated ·2 min read
The northern lights appear above Big Creek State Park, on Sunday, April 23, 2023, outside Polk City, in central Iowa.

The natural phenomenon that is the northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, was expected to appear over 17 U.S. states on Thursday. But, forecast updates are now showing a low likelihood of that happening.

The colorful lights are usually caused by solar winds coming from the sun and Earth's magnetic field, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center.

"Aurora is the name given to the glow or light produced when electrons from space flow down Earth’s magnetic field and collide with atoms and molecules of the upper atmosphere in a ring or oval centered on the magnetic pole of Earth," according to the website.

Graphis: Why the northern lights are spreading their wonder

The collisions produce light similar to how electrons flowing through gas in a neon light collide with neon and other gasses to produce different colored light bulbs, the website also states.

An early forecast called for auroral activity to be high this Thursday, according to The University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute. It was believed that highly active light displays will be visible in parts of Canada and the U.S.

However, it is now unlikely the lights will be visible as near to Iowa as previously expected.

Iowa's neighboring states once had a chance of viewing the northern lights, now Alaska is the closest hope

If weather is clear enough, to best see the glistening lights, the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute suggests getting away from city lights.

"Auroral activity will be low," the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute's latest forecast says, "Weather permitting, low-level displays will be visible overhead from Utqiaġvik to Fairbanks and visible low on the northern horizon from as far south as Anchorage and Juneau."

USA TODAY's Kate Perez contributed reporting.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Northern lights likely to miss Iowa. Here's where you might find them.