CLEVELAND, Ohio — A surge of solar activity may send auroras south Thursday night, giving skywatchers in Northeast Ohio a rare chance to see the northern lights.

Forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center have issued a G3 (strong) geomagnetic storm watch , meaning auroras may extend much farther south than usual, possibly visible from 22 U.S. states late Thursday into early Friday.

The heightened activity follows a massive coronal mass ejection, or CME, that launched into space earlier this week. The burst of charged particles from the sun is expected to reach Earth between Thursday evening and Friday morning, potentially interacting with the planet’s magnetic field to create the colorful displays.

If the timing is right, it’

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