Massive solar explosions have triggered warnings of geomagnetic storms. They could trigger blinding auroras in the northern US, Europe and southern Australia tonight, AFP reports.
In May, Earth's most powerful geomagnetic storm in more than two decades lit up the night sky with colorful light shows in Hawaii, Spain, South Africa and other places far from the extreme latitudes where they are usually seen.
These storms are caused by coronal mass ejections (CMEs) - plasma and magnetic field ejections from the Sun that reach Earth in days.
At least four CMEs that have erupted in recent days are heading toward Earth, the U.S.-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said.
They will arrive between today and August 1, and NOAA has declared a "geomagnetic storm watch" for those days.
But the "greatest activity is likely" to occur today, when a "strong" G3 geomagnetic storm warning has been issued, NOAA said.
Record storms in May were classified as the most extreme G5 level. That means any potential auroras this week are unlikely to stray as far or be as powerful as those seen earlier this year.
But if the current forecast is correct, in the late evening hours Tuesday in the U.S., "auroras could become visible to the south, across the northeastern U.S., across the upper Midwest and across the remaining northern states, including northern Oregon," NOAA added.
"With a bit of luck," the aurora - also known as the northern lights - can also be seen in areas such as England, northern Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium, according to the website SpaceWeatherLive.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology said a series of CMEs set to arrive over the next few days means auroras could be seen in some areas. | BGNES
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