It’s been a truly magical week for our planet, when an expected geomagnetic storm hit Earth and sparked a visual spectacle of ethereal auroras in the USA. The Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had already predicted this celestial occurrence. Just a few days ago, it had predicted that a CME (coronal mass ejection) is on its way and could hit the Earth on September 2.
The impact did happen on the projected date and it sparked auroras in different parts of the USA. Photos of this wonderful event have taken the internet by storm. Photographer Ethan Hohnke had the opportunity to capture this once-in-a-lifetime event with his camera. He quickly shared a beautiful image of the Northern Lights taken from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan, on September 2 at 9:45 pm (local time).
These images were shared on Instagram. An excited Hohnke said the Northern Lights were seen dancing on the surface of Lake Michigan before the moon entered the sky.
The storm brought spectacular auroras with minor disruptions to power grids, navigation and communications systems. According to Spaceweather.com, a small geomagnetic storm of class G1 started on September 2 as the speeding solar wind hit the Earth.
The arrival of the CMEs on September 3 could extend the current storm and possibly enhance the chances of aurora. As per NOAA Space Weather tweet, .”A G1 Watch is in effect for the 3 Sep UTC-day. A CME erupted from the Sun on 30 Aug and it is likely arrival at Earth will occur, with G1 storm levels probable as early as the evening of 2 Sep EDT (3 Sep UTC-day)”
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