The sun’s magnetic field is currently at the peak of its 11-year cycle, making solar storms and northern lights more frequent.

The post Solar flares may cause faint auroras across top of Northern Hemisphere appeared first on Boston.com.

Predicted to bring the northern lights as far south as parts of California and Alabama, a large coronal mass ejection from the sun collided with our planet Thursday morning

These storms, caused by high energy particles from the Sun hitting our atmosphere, have the potential to knock out electrical grids and satellites

The majestic auroras have captivated humans for thousands of years, but their nature -- the fact that the lights are electromagnetic and respond to solar activity -- was only realized in the last 150 years. Thanks to coordinated multi-satellite observations and a worldwide network of magnetic sensors and cameras, close study of auroras has become possible over recent decades. Yet, auroras continue to mystify, dancing far above the ground to some, thus far, undetected rhythm.

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The planet's temperatures spike around the latitudes where auroras show up