Northern lights, but also possible disruptions to power or radio networks: The sun throws masses of particles into space – the effects could also be seen and felt on Earth in the coming night.
According to a US authority, the first extreme solar storm has been recorded on Earth since 2003. The US Meteorological and Oceanographic Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center said the highest level five storm was observed Friday evening (local time) and is expected to continue through the weekend.
In Europe, impressive northern lights could be seen in many places due to the solar storm. But there were also warnings about disruption: GPS, power grids, spacecraft, satellite navigation and other technologies could be affected, according to NOAA.
Authorities notified satellite and power grid operators and airlines to take precautions against possible disruptions.
Strong solar storm
Northern lights color the sky colorfully
Strongest storm since 2003
The northern lights can currently be seen significantly further south than in the regions where they can normally be observed. Many users also shared pictures of the northern lights in online networks.
According to NOAA, the extreme solar storm category was last reached in October 2003. At that time there were power outages in Sweden and transformers were damaged in South Africa.