Skywatchers across the northern United States have a shot at the northern lights as a solar storm arrives Friday.

A coronal mass ejection, a huge cloud of charged particles from the sun, left the sun on Tuesday. It was tied to a flare from a sunspot group called Region 4549. NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center issued a watch for G1 to G2, or minor to moderate, geomagnetic storm levels for Friday.

"Aurora may be seen as low as New York to Wisconsin to Washington state," the center said in its alert, ABC News reported. The UK Met Office sees a slight chance of stronger G3 levels, according to ABC.

Timing is the hard part. Space.com reported that NOAA's forecast showed a possible moderate peak between 5 and 8 a.m. EDT Friday. NOAA's newest three-day outlook, issued Thursday evening, now shows the strongest levels from about 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. EDT Friday.

The sun has stayed busy. Region 4549 fired off a stronger flare on Thursday, and NOAA's forecast discussion said forecasters were still studying the cloud of material it may have launched. Space.com reported that a third eruption could reach Earth around Oct. 10 or 11, giving another chance at a display over the weekend.

Farther south, odds are lower. The Stamford Advocate said northern New England has a better chance than Connecticut, where any glow would likely be faint and low on the northern horizon.

NOAA says the storm could cause minor effects on power and technology systems, but they are "mainly manageable," ABC reported.

The Stamford Advocate advised checking NOAA's aurora dashboard and local cloud forecasts before heading out. Clouds and the storm's real strength will decide what people see.

What we know: NOAA expects minor to moderate storm levels Friday, with more activity possible this weekend.
What we don't: Exactly when the storm will peak and how far south the lights will reach.