Northern U.S. could see dazzling aurora Wednesday night
Sky watchers at northern latitudes could be treated to a beautiful aurora Wednesday night into early Thursday, after the sun unleashed two large bursts of energy toward Earth.
Activity is expected to peak in the early morning Thursday as a strong geomagnetic storm (rated 3 out of 5) reaches Earth’s magnetic field.
In the United States, the northern lights may be seen as far south as Oregon, Pennsylvania, Iowa and Massachusetts.
Cloud cover from parts of the Upper Midwest into the interior Northeast may impede viewing, but skies should be clear across much of the Northern Plains through the northern Rockies.
The geomagnetic activity began around Monday when one angry sunspot spurred a flurry of activity.
Appearing as a dark spot, a sunspot is a region where the magnetic field is particularly strong on the sun.