CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida: An intense solar storm has the northern lights gracing the skies farther south than usual.
A blast of superhot material from the sun late last week hurled scorching gases known as plasma toward Earth at nearly 3 million kmh, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said on Monday (Apr 24).
Earth felt the brunt of the storm Sunday, according to NOAA, with forecasters warning operators of power plants and spacecraft of the potential for disruption.
Auroras were reported across parts of Europe and Asia. In the US, sky gazers took in the sights from Wisconsin, Colorado, California, New Mexico and even Arizona – mostly a reddish glow instead of the typical green shimmer.
“I don’t want any expectations of these green curtains moving back and forth” so far south, said Bill Murtagh, program coordinator at the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado.
Source: CNA
