The full moon is expected to slide into Earth's shadow tomorrow night (Aug. 27-28), casting an eerie red glow over 96% of the lunar surface. At the same time, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued a moderate (G2) geomagnetic storm warning for 9:03 p.m. EDT (1303 GMT) Thursday night (Aug. 27) — 20 minutes before the eclipse starts. According to NOAA, the resulting auroras may be visible over several states, ranging from New York to Idaho.
"Though it's unlikely the moon and aurora would occupy the same part of the sky, observers in Canada and Alaska have the best chance to see them together," Tom Kerss, an astronomer and co-author of the "Little Book of Eclipses: An essential companion to solar and lunar events" (Octopus Publishing Group, 2026), told Live Science. "The further west you are, the lower the moon will be in the East during the deepest part of the eclipse, where it may overlap with the brightest region of the auroral oval."
Once there, the particles collide with atoms and molecules in the atmosphere, causing them to heat up and glow and producing the mesmerizing light show we know as the northern lights.
This cloud of electrified, magnetic gas is expected to reach our planet between Aug. 27 and 28, with NOAA forecasting moderate (G1 and G2) geomagnetic storm conditions from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. EDT on Aug. 27. Meanwhile, the lunar eclipse will begin at 9:23 p.m. EDT, peak just after midnight, and end around 3 a.m. EDT Friday (Aug. 28).
"Typically, a full moon competes with aurorae by brightening the sky, but when submerged in the Earth's shadow, it will be relatively dark, increasing the odds of spotting the northern lights," Kerss said.
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The colors of the northern lights are influenced by the different gases in Earth's atmosphere — primarily nitrogen and oxygen — and where these gases sit in the atmosphere, according to NASA. At lower altitudes, for example, oxygen usually glows green. However, during more intense geomagnetic storms, an aurora may reach oxygen particles high in our planet's atmosphere. At these altitudes, above 120 miles (200 kilometers), oxygen glows red.
Meanwhile, the moon appears coppery red due to the way Earth's atmosphere bends and absorbs light. Sunlight comprises a spectrum of colors, and the blue and yellow parts of this spectrum are absorbed by the atmosphere. However, red light gets bent, or refracted, by Earth's atmosphere, which directs it toward the moon and lights up our rocky satellite like a blood-red flashlight beam, according to the European Space Agency.
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