A powerful burst of energy from the sun struck the Earth, creating an awe-dropping view of northern lights across the continents, including US, Canada, UK, and the parts of Europe, including Germany, Ukraine, and Switzerland on Monday night
The phenomenon, known as Aurora Borealis, occurs due to a surge in solar activity that brought rare aurora sightings far beyond their usual Arctic range, marking the strongest solar storm in over two decades.
For Tuesday night, the activity is expected to be weaker, the view line on NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) dashboard map shows people in up to nine states could see the northern lights.
Skygazers in Michigan are likely to get an opportunity to view the spectacular view in the night skies from the Upper Peninsula as far south as Tawas City, Cadillac and Manistee.
How are northern lights formed?
The jaw-dropping celestial event occurs due to a geomagnetic storm when the solar wind rushes through Earth’s magnetosphere. Charged particles from the sun interact with different gases such as Oxygen, and Nitrogen in the Earth’s atmosphere, producing waves of green, red, pink, and sometimes blue light.
Notably, G4 storm brings potential for voltage control problems in power systems, GPS navigation errors and intermittent issues with radio and satellite operations.
However, the National Weather Service cautions that cloudy skies and snowfall across several regions may minimise the chances of viewing.
How to get the best view of northern lights?
To catch the best glimpse of the Aurora Borealis, experts advise heading to a dark, open area with clear skies using the smartphone cameras, as it remains invisible via naked eyes.
