A coronal mass ejection that left the sun on 5 Aug is expected to graze Earth late Thursday into Friday, prompting the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to issue a minor-to-moderate geomagnetic storm watch. NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center projects a Kp index of 6 on a nine-point scale overnight on 7–8 Aug, easing to 5 the following night. If the forecast holds, the aurora borealis could become visible far beyond its usual range. NOAA’s view-line map shows northern Canada and Alaska with the highest likelihood, while a swath of the northern United States—spanning roughly from Washington and Oregon across the Plains to northern Illinois, and east to parts of New York and Maine—may also catch the display. The agency lists 18 U.S. states within or near the potential viewing zone. NOAA cautions that geomagnetic disturbances at the predicted G1–G2 levels are generally manageable but can trigger brief alarms on some power-grid systems and degrade GPS accuracy. Aurora hunters are advised to seek dark, north-facing locations between about 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time. The episode comes amid an upswing in solar activity that agencies expect to persist into early 2026.