In pictures: Northern lights make a rare southern appearance

A powerful geomagnetic solar storm has made the northern lights visible much farther south than usual.

CMEs are explosions of plasma and magnetic fields from the sun’s corona. When directed at Earth, they cause geomagnetic storms.

The CME travelled to Earth at nearly 1.5 million miles per hour (2.4 million kilometers per hour), according to NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC).

Northern Lights are seen over Haraldsted Lake, near Ringsted, Denmark.

Northern Lights, also known as aurora borealis, light up the sky in Portland, Maine.

The Aurora borealis, also referred to as northern lights, appear over a house powered by a gas generator in a neighborhood still without electricity nearly two weeks after Hurricane Helene, in Asheville, North Carolina.

The Aurora borealis, also referred to as northern lights, appear over a darkened neighborhood still without electricity nearly two weeks after Hurricane Helene, in Asheville, North Carolina.

Northern Lights, also known as aurora borealis, light up the sky in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Read more: Cellular phones, power grids at risk as solar storm surrounds Earth

Northern Lights are seen at the Angel of the North in Gateshead, Britain.

In May, the planet went through the most powerful geomagnetic storms recorded in 20 years. They caused auroras to light up the night sky in the United States, Europe, and Australia, at much lower latitudes than usual.

This type of event has increased recently because the Sun is currently close to its peak activity, as per its 11-year cycle.

Such intense geomagnetic activity can cause other, less savory effects.

Communications signals that must pass through the upper atmosphere are subject to distortion and can become unreliable. This includes GPS and many global systems used for shipping.

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