‘Extreme’ G5 Geomagnetic Storm Unleashes Northern Lights Across the United States
The United States witnessed a rare celestial spectacle on Friday night as an extreme G5 geomagnetic storm painted the night sky with the vibrant colors of the Northern Lights.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had forecasted a severe G4 geomagnetic storm, which later escalated, marking the most intense solar event to hit the Earth in nearly two decades.
NOAA decided to issue a storm watch after identifying multiple earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) earlier in the week. Forecasters anticipated the CMEs to arrive by midday Friday, May 10, 2024, with activity potentially lasting until Sunday, May 12, in what they characterized as an “unusual event.”
A coronal mass ejection, as explained by the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC),
