Geomagnetic storms occur when charged particles from the sun collide with Earth’s atmosphere, creating auroras.

The third coronal mass ejection (CME) arrived on November 12, but its initial impact was surprisingly weaker than expected.

Millions across the U.S. and Europe witnessed rare, colorful displays of the northern lights on Tuesday and Wednesday after three bursts of plasma from the Sun triggered a powerful geomagnetic storm.

Increased solar activity causes auroras that dance around Earth’s poles, known as the northern lights, or aurora borealis, and southern lights, or aurora australis. When the energized particles from coronal mass ejections reach Earth’s magnetic field, they interact with gases in the atmosphere to create different colored lights in the sky.

On Nov. 11-12, a G4-level geomagnetic storm lit up the skies to produce bright northern lights. Here is everything to know and how to see them.

A rare G4 geomagnetic storm watch now hangs over one of the most anticipated launches of the year, as Blue Origin readies to send its towering 98-meter New Glenn rocket on its second-ever flight from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.