Dazzling auroras delighted sky-gazers Tuesday night, even in southern US states such as Florida where they rarely make an appearance — and more colorful displays are appearing Wednesday as solar storms unleashed by the sun reach Earth.Strong geomagnetic storm conditions — triggered by intense solar flares — are ongoing, the National Weather Service’s Space Weather Prediction Center has reported. Currently classified as G3 on a scale from 1 to 5 to indicate severity, the event could still reach severe, or G4, conditions, according to the center. There is a chance that auroras will be visible as low as Illinois and Oregon, according to the center.A G4 was initially predicted for Thursday, with the potential for the northern tier of the US to see auroras tomorrow evening, but forecasters at the center now believe Wednesday night might be the last opportunity for G3 or G4 conditions.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn addition to creating auroral displays, geomagnetic storms can disrupt communications, the power grid and satellite operations. The Space Weather Prediction Center said it notified power grid and satellite operators in the US so they can prepare. Meanwhile, operators in the United Kingdom are closely monitoring solar activity as well in case of potential impacts.The British Geological Survey initially believed the current solar activity could lead to a G5, or an extreme geomagnetic storm — the highest level. The survey also dubbed Tuesday’s event a “cannibal storm” that disrupted communications and GPS satellite accuracy.“On Monday, two Coronal Mass Ejections lifted off the sun a few hours apart,” the survey’s geomagnetism team explained in an email. “The first one was moving more slowly than the second … and so the second one caught up with the first one and they amalgamated together by the time they reached Earth. Hence, the term ‘cannibalised’, as the second one gobbled up the first one.”Coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, are large clouds of ionized gas called plasma and magnetic fields that erupt from the sun’s outer atmosphere. When these outbursts are directed at Earth, they can cause major disturbances of Earth’s magnetic field, resulting in geomagnetic storms.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementForecasters at the Space Weather Prediction Center believe that the arrivals of the first two of three anticipated coronal mass ejections caused Tuesday evening’s auroral display.“One of them packed a much stronger p …
