Powerful solar storms are rocking Earth, sparking auroras
WeirdNews
The storm was caused by a coronal mass ejection
(Web Desk) - It is possible the auroras could continue through the week, as NOAA predicts more geomagnetic activity for Monday night.
On Sunday night and early Monday morning, bright auroras danced across the night sky, with some reaching as far south as Iowa and Maine thanks to a powerful blast of energy from the Sun smacking into Earth.
The geomagnetic storm was classified as a "G3" storm by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is their code for strong, but not so strong that it could affect life on Earth.
It is possible the auroras could continue through the week, as NOAA predicts a G2 category storm for Monday, Nov. 6.
On Sunday night, users on social media took to X, formerly Twitter, to share their photos of the aurora over U.S. states, including Maine and Ohio.
The aurora even made it as far south as Texas. And some space weather experts predict that the lights may be visible as a result of the storm for the rest of the week.
The storm was caused by a coronal mass ejection, which is when magnetic fields on the Sun suddenly snap, sending a burst of high-energy plasma shooting out into space.
If it hits Earth, it ionizes the particles in our atmosphere, generating the aurora — the more powerful the hit, the further south the Northern Lights can travel.
While some scientists believe the Sun is due for a major storm that could have significant impact on human technology and electric systems, a G3 storm causes only slight interference with satellites and electrical systems and is otherwise harmless to Earth.
Wow! The Northern Lights are making a rare appearance tonight in our region as captured by one of our employees NW of Lubbock. While the red in this photo isn't visible to the naked eye, your camera may be able to catch these views too! #lubwx #txwx pic.twitter.com/5uw14CEEgM
— NWS Lubbock (@NWSLubbock) November 6, 2023
