The United States and parts of Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand witnessed vibrant auroras lighting up the night sky on Friday night.
This rare phenomenon was prompted by an extreme G5 geomagnetic storm, the most intense solar event to impact Earth in nearly two decades.
NOAA issued a storm watch earlier in the week after detecting multiple earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs). These CMEs were anticipated to hit by midday Friday, May 10, 2024, with the possibility of lingering effects until Sunday.