An explosion of particles arrived at Earth on Thursday, and could lead to visible northern lights in much of the country while also raising power grid concerns.
An eruption of particles from the sun collided with Earth on Thursday morning.
The Space Weather Prediction Center, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, reported that the solar particles, which were ejected on Tuesday evening, arrived at 11:15 a.m. Eastern time, traveling at nearly 1.5 million miles per hour.
The center warned that the particles could generate strong geomagnetic storms on Earth that could damage satellites, mangle GPS signals and cause blackouts. They can also create brilliant auroras in night skies closer to the Equator than usual.
A watch issued on Wednesday that the solar storm could reach severe or extreme levels remains in effect.
This was the second such watch, which is the space weather equivalent of a hurricane watch, to be issued by the center in the past 19 years.
The first, in May, put the United States on alert for a severe solar storm that appeared to be on its way to Earth. That solar storm reached the highest level of “extreme,” but the early warning allowed electrical utilities to prepare and helped prevent major outages.
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