A strong geomagnetic storm is set to hit Earth Thursday night and Friday.

Scientists from the Space Weather Prediction Center have issued a G3 geomagnetic storm alert, which means on a scale from one to five, it is moderately strong.

A number of solar flares caught by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Tuesday and Wednesday will bring a number of waves of energy our way, some waves even colliding with each other to intensify before reaching Earth.

It takes between one and three days for coronal mass ejections to reach Earth, potentially disrupting satellite and radio service Thursday night and Friday.

A coronal mass ejection is when pieces of the sun, including plasma and energy, are projected outwards.

Solar ejections do happen rather frequently, but not at this magnitude. Interruptions to high frequency radio communication or even loss of navigation tools for a few minutes or more are possible.

But this doesn’t typically affect the general public. It is important, though, that power providers are prepared just in case. This may also cause satellite or space operators to recalibrate, as the solar flare can slow down space travel and increase drag.

An upside of a geomagnetic storm is what we see in the night sky.

Solar plasma particles interact with the magnetosphere , which is the outer layer of Earth’s atmosphere responsible for the aurora borealis.

As a result, the northern lights may be pretty strong tonight through Canada, in northern New England, and even as far south as Massachusetts, Illinois, and Oregon.

The best chance of seeing it is around latitude 50 degrees and higher.