Stargazers: A firework show called Northern Lights is coming

The sun’s “X-class solar flake” was launched on Thursday. It was strong enough for South America to experience a radio blackout at high frequencies. A cluster of solar plasma and another material, known as a coronal Mass Ejection (or CME), follows the energy from the flare. The energy from the flare is heading towards Earth, prompting National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to warn of a possible strong geomagnetic storm.

This might sound like something out of a science-fiction movie. It’s actually a sign that some northern parts of the country might be treated to the aurora borealis or Northern Lights.

As large as the geomagnetic storms that might be coming, it can cause displays of lights that can be seen at low latitudes like Pennsylvania, Oregon and Iowa. It can also cause voltage irregularities in high-latitude power grids due to loss of radio contact from the sunlit side.

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