The US Experienced Vivid Northern Lights Across Many States
On Tuesday night, geomagnetic storms illuminated the sky over large parts of the United States with vibrant shades of green and pink. The Aurora Borealis was visible across multiple states including Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington.
Rare Sighting as Far South as Florida and Alabama
Northern lights were even spotted in parts of Florida and Alabama, a rare event that underscores the intensity of the storms this week.
“Well, we had activity tonight — a lot of geomagnetic storm activity,” said Shawn Dahl, service coordinator at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center, in a video on X.
What Causes Geomagnetic Storms?
Geomagnetic storms occur when charged particles from the sun's atmosphere collide with Earth's magnetic field. These storms can create spectacular light displays and can also interfere with technology on Earth, affecting satellites, GPS, radio communications, and power grids.
Two Coronal Mass Ejections Triggered Tuesday's Activity
The event was driven by two coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which are large bursts of plasma and magnetic fields from the sun’s outer atmosphere. These CMEs increase in size as they travel towards Earth, causing geomagnetic disturbances upon arrival.
“Two CMEs arrived on Earth on Tuesday,” explained Shawn Dahl.
Summary: Intense geomagnetic storms caused rare and vivid northern lights visible across many US states, even reaching unusually southern areas like Florida, driven by solar coronal mass ejections.
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