An intense barrage of magnetized plasma released by the Sun is currently slamming into Earth’s magnetosphere, producing a powerful geomagnetic storm and possibly generating auroral displays in the skies tonight and Friday night.

The National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center issued a warning on Wednesday of a G3, or strong, solar storm as a result of large expulsions of plasma from the Sun’s corona (also known as coronal mass ejections). The CME is already impacting Earth and will continue to do so for the next couple of days, according to NOAA.

Incoming flares

The Sun is currently in solar maximum, experiencing peak activity during its 11-year activity cycle. During solar maximum, the Sun unleashes an increased amount of solar flares and

See Full Page