Why we saw the strongest northern lights in 20 years
A rare geomagnetic storm not seen for nearly 20 years caused a stunning aurora borealis on 10 and 11 May. This shimmering green, purple and red glow in the sky occurs when charged particles from the sun smash into Earth’s atmosphere. The sun emitted several huge plumes of particles, called coronal mass ejections (CMEs) between 8 and 9 May, which reached Earth on 10 and 11 May.
When these particles reach Earth and some hit its atmosphere, they impart energy to its constituent gas molecules. When these molecules re-emit the energy, it comes out as the light that we see as the aurora. The colour of the aurora depends on what type of gas was hit and where in the atmosphere it is located.
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