By Zainab Shafiq 
A powerful solar storm hit Earth on Monday, prompting a level four on a five-level scale, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration explained in an NOAA alert. In effect, this powerful solar event could push the northern lights far farther south than usual, perhaps visible as far south as Alabama and northern California in the United States, due to the coronal mass ejections.
The storm began at about 1500 GMT and should last a few more hours. NOAA does not expect the storm to intensify. CMEs are vast releases of plasma from the Sun that disturb Earth’s magnetic field when they reach our planet. They can produce beautiful auroras upon arrival, but also cripple communications systems, satellites, and power grids.
Astrophysicist Eric Lagadec pointed out that this storm has caused auroras to appear quite widely and speculated that they might be visible in Europe if the storm persists until nightfall. NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick shared from his current existence on the International Space Station a photo of the aurora borealis that mesmerized the beauty of natural light-displays.
Solar storms like this have been coming with increased regularity lately as the Sun ramps up to peak activity in its 11-year cycle. In May, Earth was hit with one of the strongest geomagnetic storms in two decades that painted the sky with auroras far lower in latitude than usual in an arc across the United States, Europe, and Australia. While the storms make for breath-taking displays, they also pose hazards that prompt operators of critical infrastructure to take precautions against them.
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