(Washington, DC) -- The northern lights are expected to be visible in the U.S. this week. According to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, solar activity is picking up and a geomagnetic storm watch is getting extended through Thursday. Alaska and Canada will have the highest chance of getting a view of the northern lights, but more than a dozen states in the contiguous U.S. from Oregon to Maine could see the lights on their northern horizons.