Aurora Borealis Visible Far South in North America

A vivid display of the northern lights, known as the aurora borealis, lit up skies across much of North America on Tuesday, November 11, reaching unusually far south to states including Florida, Texas, Alabama, and New Mexico. The phenomenon, triggered by a powerful geomagnetic storm, is expected to produce another widespread show on Wednesday evening, November 12, potentially visible in up to two dozen U.S. states as well as parts of Canada and the United Kingdom.

The aurora resulted from a series of coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, from the sun that hurled charged particles toward Earth. These particles collided with the planet's magnetic field and atmosphere, exciting gases like oxygen and nitrogen to create the colorful lights, primarily greens and reds. Officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center reported that two CMEs arrived on Tuesday, with a third and strongest one forecast to impact Earth around midday Wednesday. This has prompted a G4 severe geomagnetic storm watch, the second-highest level on NOAA's scale, which could extend through Friday, November 14.

The storm's intensity surprised forecasters, pushing the...