Photos: Rare solar storm brings dazzling northern lights across Europe

Storms came about after 5 coronal mass ejections burst from a large sunspot cluster

Published: May 11, 2024 11:40 Compiled by Nathaniel Lacsina, Senior Web Editor and with inputs from Bloomberg

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This weekend, A severe solar storm brought a dazzling display of the Northern Lights that could be seen across Europe and as far south as Alabama in the US while threatening to trigger blackouts and disrupt navigation systems worldwide. Image Credit: Reuters

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The US Space Weather Prediction Center said an extreme geomagnetic storm is underway as energy from the sun collides with Earth's magnetic field. Image Credit: Reuters

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The last time a storm this strong struck Earth was in October 2003, according to the agency, which is part of the US National Weather Service. Image Credit: Reuters

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That storm caused power outages in Sweden and damaged transformers in South Africa. Image Credit: Reuters

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The storms came about after five coronal mass ejections burst from a large sunspot cluster earlier this week. Image Credit: AFP

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In addition to the brilliant cosmic display, a G5 storm can disrupt electric grids and satellites, energize pipelines and cause havoc with global navigation systems. Image Credit: Reuters

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The danger is that the storms can inject direct current into alternating current transmission lines and send low pulses of electricity through things like railroad tracks and pipelines. Some GPS signals may be lost during the event. Image Credit: Reuters

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The storm's true power will be known when it is about 1.6 million kilometres from Earth, where satellites are parked to act as warning beacons. Image Credit: Reuters

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The UK Met Office said earlier that if the skies are dark and clear enough overnight, large parts of Asia, Europe, and North America may be able to see an aurora, often called the Northern Lights. Image Credit: AFP

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While the aurora may be only visible with the naked eye as far south as Alabama and California, mobile phone cameras can often pick up displays further south that people cannot see. Image Credit: Reuters

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The northern lights over the National Monument of Scotland. In addition, trans-polar flights between Europe, Asia and North America will likely be rerouted to avoid increased radiation exposure for passengers and crews. Image Credit: AFP

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Aurora borealis over a windmill field near London, Ontario. The culprit is a sunspot cluster 16 times wider than Earth, visible on the right side of the sun's disc. Image Credit: AFP

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The sun, which rolls through an 11-year cycle in which the number of spots waxes and wanes, is approaching the peak of the current one that began in December 2019. Image Credit: AFP

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The effects of the solar storm may last through the weekend into next week. Image Credit: AFP

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Northern lights illuminate the night sky over Vienna during a geomagnetic storm. Image Credit: AFP

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The aurora borealis are seen over The Roaches near Leek, Staffordshire, Britain. Image Credit: Reuters

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