Solar flares and coronal mass ejections released from the sun are making colorful auroras visible farther south than they typically do.
This solar storm is not expected to be as intense as the one that occurred in May, but it could still disrupt communications, the power grid and satellite operations, according to the National Weather Service’s Space Weather Prediction Center.
Increased solar activity causes auroras that dance around Earth’s poles, known as the northern lights, or aurora borealis, and southern lights, or aurora australis. When the energized particles from coronal mass ejections reach Earth’s magnetic field, they interact with gases in the atmosphere to create those different colored lights in the sky.
Even if auroras don’t appear visible, photos of the night sky may capture colors you can’t see with the naked eye.
