Space forecasters say severe solar storm could bring dazzling auroras — but also disrupt communications
Northern lights dazzle in US skies but they come with an eerie warning
- Stunning auroras lit up the sky Tuesday night as the Sun emitted its strongest solar flare of the year, an X5.1 class, which was expected to make the northern lights visible across more than 20 US states.
- The northern lights may be viewed again Wednesday as far south as Alabama and northern California – much farther south than usual – as long as skies remain clear and skywatchers stay away from light pollution.
- This celestial spectacle is the result of a coronal mass ejection colliding with Earth’s magnetic field, allowing the aurora borealis to be seen much farther south than is typical.
- Forecasters warned that the flare could trigger a severe geomagnetic storm, potentially causing detrimental impacts to critical infrastructure such as power grids, low-Earth orbit satellites, and GPS navigation.
- The blast has already caused radio blackouts in parts of Africa and Europe, and this is the most energetic of several coronal mass ejections observed recently.