Northern lights could be visible in Iowa this week. When to look for the aurora borealis:

Due to strong solar activity, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center has issued a geomagnetic storm warning for Monday through Wednesday. This also brings the possibility that the aurora borealis will be visible in the Midwest.

NOAA said that solar activity was heightened throughout the weekend and various events, including solar flares and eruptions, were associated with coronal mass ejections, a large expulsion of plasma and magnetic field from the sun’s corona.

What is the aurora borealis forecast in Iowa?

If geometric levels get high enough during the late evening hours on Monday into early morning hours on Tuesday, the aurora may be visible lower on the horizon over northern Iowa and maybe even central Iowa, said Shawn Dahl, a space weather forecaster at NOAA.

If geometric levels get high enough, the aurora could be visible low along the horizon across southern Iowa.

If you're willing to make a trip, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin have better chances of more activity, Dahl said. If not, get outside of city lights, under the darkest skies possible.

When could the northern lights be visible?

Space weather is unpredictable and difficult to forecast, according to Space.com. Much of timing concerning geometric storms is usually a guessing game. Monday and Tuesday nights into the early mornings are your best bet for getting a glimpse.

Historically, the best time to see the lights is between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. You'll also want to get away from light pollution from cities and find dark places.

"The moon will cooperate, as it doesn't come up until after midnight and is also low in the southern sky," Dahl said. "Freeing up the northern sky for the hour before midnight to a few hours after midnight for the possible aurora to be visible."

In the Des Moines area, weather on Monday night may allow for viewing before thunderstorms arrive between 3 and 4 a.m. On Tuesday night, thunderstorms and cloudy skies are likely, according to NWS .

Those looking for the aurora should consider using their phones or cameras and take images to the north, Dahl said, because sometimes even though the eye can't see them, digital imagery technology can often pick them up .

What are the northern lights?

The word aurora refers to the light produced when electrons from space, traveling down Earth's magnetic field, collide with atoms and molecules of the upper atmosphere, according to the prediction center .

The colorful aurora forms when particles flowing from the sun get caught up in Earth's magnetic field. The particles interact with molecules of atmospheric gases to cause the famed glowing green and reddish colors of the aurora.

Victoria Reyna-Rodriguez is a general assignment reporter for the Register. Reach her at vreynarodriguez@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter @VictoriaReynaR .

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Northern lights could be visible in Iowa this week. When to look for the aurora borealis: