Geomagnetic security

A Solar Storm Could Spark Amazing Auroras Tonight

A strong geomagnetic storm hit planet Earth Tuesday, caused by solar winds ejected at speeds of millions of miles per hour from a hole in the sun’s corona, warned the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

This space weather poses no danger to humans or other biological inhabitants of the planet, although it has the potential to disrupt satellites, power grids, and radio communications.

We are fortunately protected by Earth’s own magnetic field, which literally explodes as it interacts with the charged particles blasted out from the sun. The gorgeous side effect of this process is the aurora — dancing colorful lights that appear in the sky, particularly as you get closer to the polar regions.

Some residents of both the northern and southern hemispheres were treated to a particularly wondrous display overnight Monday, and the lights are expected to continue through Tuesday night. Aurora, produced by a storm of this intensity, might be seen as far south as Oregon or Illinois. For the best seats, though, you’d better get yourself up to Alaska or northern Canada, pronto.