Saihaj Kaur Madan
Phot🦋os captured worldwide depict vibrant skies spanning Europe, 🧸New Zealand, and the U.S., with visibility extending further south than typical in the latter.
Friday (May 10) night witnessed the illumination of northern lights in areas where auroras aren't typically observed, as a severe solar storm intensifiedꦗ the phenomenon.
Friday marks the first time since 2005 that 📖the agency has issued a severe geomagnetic storm watch.
Thꦰe northern lights illuminate the sky when charged particles ejected from the su🥃n during solar storms collide with Earth's magnetic field. This collision creates colorful displays as these particles interact with the atoms and molecules in Earth's upper atmosphere.
Typically visible at high latitudes, the northern lights can be observed farther south than usual during periods ൲of intense solar acti💞vity.
Early Saturday, #AuroraB𝕴orealis and #GeomagneticStorm dominated X's trending topic🍨s.
The cosmic spectacle is expected to continue until at leaꦦst Sunday, as per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They noted that the current storm has resulted in several reports of power grid problems.
The most intense solar storm on record occurred in 1859, causing auroras as far south as Central America and potentially reaching Hawaii. "We are not expecting that," commented Shawn Dahl, a space weather forecaster at NOAA, "but 💫it could approachꦚ similar levels."
According to NASA, another one of the most destructive geomagnetic storms occurred in 1989, resulting in approximately 6 million people 𓃲in Montreal, Canada, losing power for nine hours. Certain areas of the northeastern U.Sꦑ. and Sweden were also impacted during that event.
The sun undergoes 11-year cycles from minimum to maximum activity. According to forecasts fr🌜om NOAA and NASA, the current cycle, which commenced in late 2019, is projected to reach its peak with maximum activity in July 2025.