Another in a series of unusual strong solar storms Hitting Earth produced beautiful skies full of pinks, purples, greens and blues further south than normal, including in parts of Germany, the United Kingdom, New England and New York City.

“It was once again a pretty comprehensive display,” said Shawn Dahl, a space weather forecaster at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center. He said the center has received reports of northern lights sightings as far south as New Mexico. “It was a wonderful year.”

There were no immediate reports of power and communications disruptions.

NOAA issued a severe geomagnetic storm alert on Wednesday after after one eruption of the sun was discovered earlier this week. Such a storm increases the chance of aurorae – also called northern lights – and can temporarily disrupt power and radio signals.

NOAAs Friday forecast shows continued higher than normal activity, but chances of another overnight show are slim further south of Canada and the northern Plains states.

What causes Northern Lights?

The sun sends more than just heat and light to Earth: it sends energy and charged particles known as the solar wind. But sometimes that solar wind becomes a storm. The Sun’s outer atmosphere occasionally ‘burps’ enormous bursts of energy, coronal mass ejections. According to NOAA, they cause solar storms, also known as geomagnetic storms.

Earth’s magnetic field protects us from much of it, but particles can travel along the magnetic field lines past the north and south poles into Earth’s atmosphere.

When the particles interact with the gases in our atmosphere, they can produce light: blue and purple from nitrogen, green and red from oxygen.

Dahl said this storm produced an especially vivid image when it struck because the orientation of the storm’s magnetism matched that of Earth’s. “We stayed well connected,” he said.

Why have there been so many solar storms lately?

Solar activity waxes and wanes in a cycle that lasts about eleven years, astronomers say. It appears the sun is near the peak of that cycle, also called solar maximum.

In May, the sun emitted the largest solar flare in almost twenty years. That came days after massive solar storms hit Earth, causing auroras in unusual places in the Northern Hemisphere.

There will probably be more to follow. Dahl said we are still “in the grip” of solar maximum and it likely won’t fade until early 2026.

“We’re ready for more of the experiences we had last night,” he said.

What is the best way to see the Northern Lights?

NOAA advises those hoping to see the Northern Lights to stay away from the city lights.

The best viewing time is usually within an hour or two before or after midnight, and according to the agency, the best opportunities are around the spring and fall equinoxes because of the way the solar wind interacts with Earth’s magnetic field.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.