A series of powerful solar storms have led to rare and widespread sightings of the Northern Lights across the globe.
Solar physicists had predicted these displays after a solar flare caused three separate coronal mass ejections on the sun.
The celestial phenomenon was seen as far south as the Texas Panhandle in the United States and in multiple northern cities in China, including the outskirts of Beijing.
The Northern Lights are created when charged particles from the sun's upper atmosphere collide with Earth's magnetic field, causing an emission of light.
The recent displays were ignited by a geomagnetic storm, caused by an enormous dark hole that opened up in the sun's surface.
These solar storms could potentially cause disruptions to infrastructure such as communications, the electric power grid, and navigation systems.
The sun is currently nearing the peak of Solar Cycle 25, which is proving to be much stronger than the last one.
A series of powerful solar storms have led to rare and widespread sightings of the Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, across the globe. The celestial phenomenon, typically visible in higher latitudinal regions, was seen as far south as the Texas Panhandle in the United States and in multiple northern cities in China, including the outskirts of Beijing. The phenomenon was also visible to the naked eye in Japan for the first time since October 2003.
The Northern Lights are created when charged particles from the sun's upper atmosphere collide with Earth's magnetic field, causing an emission of light. The recent displays were ignited by a geomagnetic storm, caused by an enormous dark hole that opened up in the sun's surface. This temporary gap, wider than 60 Earths, is spewing powerful streams of unusually fast radiation, known as solar wind, right at Earth. The size and orientation of this gap is unprecedented at this stage of the solar cycle.
Solar physicists had predicted these displays after a solar flare caused three separate coronal mass ejections on the sun. The sun is currently nearing the peak of Solar Cycle 25, which is proving to be much stronger than the last one. The National Satellite Meteorological Centre in China has predicted another geomagnetic storm, raising the possibility of further sightings.
While the Northern Lights are a spectacle for skygazers, these solar storms could potentially cause disruptions to infrastructure such as communications, the electric power grid, and navigation systems. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) is closely monitoring the situation and providing updates and forecasts as it evolves.
An enormous dark hole has opened up in the sun's surface and is spewing powerful streams of unusually fast radiation, known as solar wind, right at Earth.
The size and orientation of the temporary gap, which is wider than 60 Earths, is unprecedented at this stage of the solar cycle, scientists say.
A powerful solar storm caused the Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, to be visible as far south as the Texas Panhandle.
Wesley Luginbyhl, a storm and landscape photographer, photographed the Northern Lights in the small town of Vega, Texas. This is the third time he has seen them in Texas this year.