Solar Flares: Michigan's Lights Show!

This: a powerful solar flare, the second most intense in recent years, just happened! It came from an area on the sun called "Active Region 3842. " This flare is rated x7. 1, which means it's super strong. You might be wondering, what does this have to do with Michigan? Well, these solar flares cause geomagnetic storms. When explosions happen on the sun's surface, they send a lot of plasma into space, and some of it reaches Earth's atmosphere. The NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center says we can expect minor storms Thursday and stronger ones Friday. You know those beautiful Northern Lights? This is your chance to see them in Southeast Michigan! They might not be visible with just your eyes, so grab your phone or camera and snap some pics of the night sky. Did you know that during the Earth's equinoxes, geomagnetic storms happen more often? It’s because of something called the Russel-McPherron effect. When Earth's magnetosphere lines up with the sun's magnetic field, charged particles can't be deflected away like they are during solstices. So, get ready for a potential light show! By Thursday and Friday, we’ll have a better idea of when and how strong the Northern Lights will be.