Earth is expected to experience a geomagnetic storm this week after the autumnal equinox.
A sunspot exploded on Sunday, generating a coronal mass ejection (CME) on a path toward Earth.
Solar plasma, hurtling toward the planet at 650,000 mph, is expected to blast out of Earth’s magnetosphere on Wednesday, According to Space.com.
Geomagnetic storm hits Earth, causing northern lights to appear and disrupting radio communications
View of the Sun through a solar telescope showing sun prominences, sunspots and filaments. (Manuel Romano/NourPhoto via Getty Images)
A coronal mass ejection could have created a geomagnetic storm in part of the world because it occurred close to the autumnal equinox, which occurred on September 22.
During the spring and fall equinoxes, the Earth’s magnetic poles align with the Sun’s poles, making geomagnetic storms more likely.
We could see the Northern Lights in some parts of the US this week after ‘strong solar activity’
A geomagnetic storm can sometimes cause communications or power outages.
This phenomenon can also cause the “northern lights” effect at high altitudes, lighting up the night sky with brilliant colors.
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Aurora borealis from Mukilteo, Washington, during a geomagnetic storm earlier this year. (Scott Sistic via Fox Weather)
Earlier this summer, dancing lights of the aurora borealis were seen across the United States and even in some southern states, after the strongest geomagnetic storm in 20 years.
Fox News Digital’s Sydney Borchers contributed to this report.
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