A solar storm is hitting our planet, bringing sightings of auroras, or the northern lights, across the United States Tuesday night, including some reports here in Central Florida.
Over the past few days, the sun has "burped" several bursts of energy known as coronal mass ejections. Once they reach Earth, they create the colorful aurora.
The solar storm brought auroras to unexpected places Tuesday night, including Kansas, Colorado, Texas and Florida in the U.S. In Europe, Hungary and the United Kingdom saw the atmospheric phenomenon.
For those that felt like they missed out, there still could be a chance to catch the light show Wednesday night.
A second wave of plasma from the sun is forecast to arrive Wednesday, according to Terry Oswalt, a physics professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
“There might be another display after sunset,” on Wednesday, said Oswalt. “Go out and have a look to the north from a dark sky site with a clear horizon.”
However, he warns that auroras are notoriously difficult to predict – the ones seen Tuesday night were not expected to be seen here in Central Florida.
These solar storms bring more than just a cosmic lightshow. They can impact space-based navigation and communication satellites, along with disrupting power grids here on Earth. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported some impacts Tuesday to GPS communication and power grids.
