The aurora put on a spectacular celestial show Friday night. Bright pink, swirling greens, and splashes of purple lit up the night skies over much of the globe. Earlier in the day, the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center noted that “extreme (G5) geomagnetic conditions have been observed.” G5 is the most intense level for a geomagnetic storm (on a scale from G1 to G5) and has not been seen since October 2003.
[Related: We finally know what sparks the Northern Lights]
Geomagnetic storms and solar flares can cause widespread disturbances to radio communications, power grids, and navigation signals. It also means the aurora is particularly stunning.
Observers from Slovenia to Pennsylvania, New Zealand to Canada shared dazzling photos of vivid colors stretched across sky. NOAA expects the conditions to continue through Sunday, so if you missed the show on Friday, there may still be time to catch it this weekend.
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