Breathtaking auroras cover Earth as mega solar storm hits
A rare and vivid display of the northern lights, commonly known as the aurora borealis, lit up skies across several US states last night after a powerful geomagnetic storm struck Earth. Triggered by a direct hit from a massive coronal mass ejection (CME), the G4-class (severe) storm brought the aurora borealis much farther south than usual, creating stunning nighttime spectacles.The auroras were visible in states including New Mexico, California, Utah, Wyoming and even parts of Oklahoma. In Farmington, New Mexico, photographer Derick Wilson captured a hyper-lapse of the lights around 2:15 a.m. local time. "Visible aurora this far south is such a rare occurrence I knew to keep an eye on the solar wind data," Wilson told Space.com, adding that he made sure to get far from city lights to capture the show.advertisementThe northern lights were also seen in San Diego and some residents in Tulsa, reported catching glimpses of the aurora. Meanwhile, in the Southern Hemisphere, pink and red auroras were spotted lighting up the skies over Queenstown in Tasmania.
The Milky Way galaxy is seen with the Aurora Australis. (Photo: AFP)
These displays followed a CME that erupted during an M8.2-class solar flare on May 30 at 8:05 p.m. EDT. The solar material raced toward Earth at nearly 1,938 km/s (around 4.3 million mph), slamming into the planet's magnetic field early on June 1. The impact triggered a severe geomagnetic storm that allowed auroras to stretch deep into mid-latitudes.advertisementBefore the storm hit, experts had predicted that the auroras might be visible across a wide swath of the northern United States, including Alaska, Washington, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, along with most of Wyoming, Idaho, Iowa and New York. Forecasts also suggested potential sightings in parts of Oregon, Nebraska, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.With the geomagnetic storm activity expected to continue, many of these areas may still have a chance to witness the lights again tonight if skies remain clear.
Experts have already dubbed it one of the biggest space weather events of Solar Cycle 25. (Photo: AFP)
Coronal mass ejections release electrically charged atoms, or ions, into space. When these ions reach Earth, they can disturb the planet's magnetosphere, causing a geomagnetic storm. During these disturbances, the ions interact with gases in Earth's atmosphere, releasing energy in the form of light - seen as auroras.In the Northern Hemisphere, this light is known as the aurora borealis; in the Southern Hemisphere, it is called the aurora australis.Geomagnetic storms are measured on a G-scale from G1 (minor) to G5 (extreme), and last night's G4 event allowed rare and far-reaching views of this natural light show.Must Watch
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