The Northern Lights are «the most visible effect of the sun’s activity on the Earth’s atmosphere,» NASA explains.
The Northern Lights, also known as the aurora borealis, may be visible on Thursday and Friday in some northern states, including Illinois, Oregon, Maine, Washington and Montana. The colorful cosmic light display is caused by a geomagnetic storm. According to the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a geomagnetic storm is «a major disturbance of Earth’s magnetosphere that occurs when there is a very efficient exchange of energy from the solar wind into the space environment surrounding Earth. «The largest storms that result from these conditions are associated with solar coronal mass ejections (CMEs) where a billion tons or so of plasma from the sun, with its embedded magnetic field, arrives at Earth,» the SWPC explains. In a statement Wednesday, the SWPC noted «Geomagnetic Storm Watches» are in effect through December 11. «As CME effects continue, activity is likely to increase, especially if the magnetic field carried with the CME connects well with Earth’s magnetosphere.
