The northern lights could be visible over northern CT this weekend. What to know.

There's another chance to see the northern lights tonight, as NOAA is once again predicting northern states may see the aurora borealis .

The effects of a large solar flare will span across the top of the globe, stretching over Canada and the United States border.

The aurora is expected to be visible in multiple northern U.S. states Oct. 3 through Oct. 5, according to the Sp ace Weather Prediction Center.

Sightings are forecasted as far south as Pennsylvania, according to the center.

This has been a particularly active year for the northern lights, with repeated displays dazzling viewers.

Here's what to know.

Where will the northern lights be visible?

The aurora (another word for northern lights) is expected to be visible in multiple northern U.S. states tonight, Oct. 4 and tomorrow, Oct. 5, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center.

The report noted that "sightings are forecasted along the U.S. - Canada border, but also as far south as Oregon to Pennsylvania, according to the center." The best time to view the auroras will be on Friday, Oct. 4 from around midnight local time going into the early hours of Saturday, Oct. 5.

In New England, the forecast predicts they will be visible in New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and possibly scraping northern Connecticut over the weekend.

Why are northern lights more frequent?

People across Earth can expect more frequent and brighter northern lights to grace the sky as the sun nears the height of its 11-year cycle, making electromagnetic activity a more common occurrence.

NASA said the sun is expected to reach the peak of Solar Cycle 25 in 2025 .

Why do the northern lights occur?

"The Aurora Borealis or "northern lights" and the Aurora Australis or "southern lights" occur during geomagnetic storms when charged particles impact the Earth's upper atmosphere," the National Weather Service stated on its website. "Usually, they are only visible in the far northern and southern polar regions. But during an extreme space weather event, the aurora will become very intense and will be visible in places that usually never see these elusive night lights."

For example, the The National Weather Service reported that in late October in 2003, the Aurora Borealis was visible as far south as Texas. And during the largest geomagnetic storm ever recorded, in 1859, the Aurora was visible in El Salvador.

Places to check for northern lights forecast

If you want a chance at seeing the northern lights, here are some websites you can monitor the sun's activity:

• The Space Weather Prediction Center
• Space.com
• Aurora forecast page (NOAA)
• Aurora Reach
• Aurora Alerts

Sydney Hakes contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on wickedlocal.com: The northern lights could be visible over northern CT this weekend. What to know.