The reason for this was a solar storm, which allowed non-polar regions to also see the red, green and pink auroras.
According to the US authorities, the solar storm hasn’t been this strong in over 20 years, reaching level 5 out of 5 on the measuring scale.
Don’t worry if you missed the auroras last night, though, as there may be a chance of seeing them between Saturday and Sunday, according to astronomers.
A solar storm doesn’t just make for a beautiful sky. The US authorities warn that this could have an impact on GPS, satellite navigation and other technologies.
Nonetheless, expert Volker Bothmer from the University of Göttingen told ZDF that the storm was not strong enough to cause a power grid failure.
Earlier today, AFP reported:
The first of several coronal mass ejections (CMEs) -- expulsions of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun -- came just after 1600 GMT, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Space Weather Prediction Center.
It was later upgraded to an “extreme” geomagnetic storm -- the first since the “Halloween Storms” of October 2003 caused blackouts in Sweden and damaged power infrastructure in South Africa. More CMEs are expected to pummel the planet in the coming days.
Authorities notified satellite operators, airlines and the power grid to take precautionary steps for potential disruptions caused by changes to Earth’s magnetic field.
Unlike solar flares, which travel at the speed of light and reach Earth in around eight minutes, CMEs travel at a more sedate pace, with officials putting the current average at 800 kilometers (500 miles) per second.
The CMEs emanated from a massive sunspot cluster that is 17 times wider than our planet. The Sun is approaching the peak of an 11-year cycle that brings heightened activity.
AFP: First ‘extreme’ solar storm in 20 years brings spectacular auroras
